On Participatory Culture
To be able to participate and be a part of something bigger than oneself is one of the greater joys of human life. With this idea in mind, I think it is not surprising that we witness an exponential rise in what is called 'participatory culture'.
The term 'participatory culture' was first used in 1992 by media scholar Henry Jenkins. Jenkins employed it in relation to the fans of Star Trek, Twin Peaks, Beauty and the Beast, and others in order to show how they use these movies/TV shows as a starting point for the creation of their own songs, stories, and other cultural materials. Following the study of such communities, participatory culture came to be defined as a culture in which one is not merely a consumer, but also an active contributor; as an environment in which the importance of collaboration, sharing knowledge, and creating connections among members is emphasized.
Lana del Rey photographed by Nadia Lee Cohen for Skims, January 2024. Collage by Keny Graphic. Available via IG @kenygraphic.
Participatory culture emerged with the rise of the internet and social media platforms, and to this day, the term is mainly used in relation to fan culture and particularly to its online manifestations. Nowadays, it is perhaps even easier to come across fan communities than in the '90s, as they are more vocal and engaged than ever. With just one quick search on Instagram, X, TikTok, or any other social media handle, really, anyone can get lost among the enormous amounts of fan content: fan fiction, edits, memes, songs, poems, you name it. People are involved, and everyone seems to be in touch with one another. They comment and express their opinions; they create alternate storylines when they are not satisfied with the original one. People seem to care more than ever.
But while we may associate this behavior with the internet, it has actually existed since long before its birth, and participation can take many different shapes and forms. In the 20th century, we see an interesting phenomenon in the performing arts: the audience is invited to participate. They are included in a way that shapes the creative act itself. In 1985, The Mystery of Edwin Drood premiered in New York. The musical is based on Charles Dickens’ unfinished novel, and it allowed the audience to vote on various aspects of the plot, resulting in a different experience with each performance. The show ran for 608 performances and won several awards. Even before that, in 1934, Ayn Rand debuted this type of audience participation in her Night of January 16th. The play is set in a murder trial courtroom, and the public is the jury.
My favorite example that showcases the desire to actively participate in the creative act takes us even further in time. The 18th century saw the birth of the English novel, and one of the very first ones, Samuel Richardson’s Pamela, or Virtue Rewarded, became so popular that it had, what we would call in modern terms, its very own fanbase. After its publication in 1740, Pamela generated an entire media event, during which fans, teacups, and paintings that depicted certain scenes from the story were marketed. People were so involved in the story and in the lives of the characters, that following a public reading of the novel in the town of Preston, the church bells were rung when they found out about the main characters getting married. This behavior is hilariously similar to that of fans nowadays. What is perhaps even more interesting is that Pamela had what was termed its own 'book club', as it started a discussion in the media, with readers joining in the conversation and sending letters of opinion or with suggestions for improvement, to the editor, so to Richardson himself, to booksellers, or even to newspapers and magazines. As a result, the novel appeared in three more editions within a year after its first publication, six by 1742 - Richardson included many of the suggestions he received. Pamela as we know it today is the result of this collaboration between writer and readers.
This spirit of participation, of collaboration is not unlike what we see today in online spaces. While the phenomenon of participatory culture is a very modern one, its essence lies not in the digital spaces with which it is associated, but rather in the very human need to engage in artistic pursuits. The internet may have given us the opportunity to do so at a larger scale than ever before, but to participate in culture, to be a part of the creative process and thus feel like you yourself are creating seems to have always come naturally to people.
