A1 Journal article (refereed)
Nörttikulttuurin identiteettikriisi : Gamergate, Comicsgate ja Star Wars poliittisten kiistojen näyttämöinä (2020)
Geek culture’s identity crisis : Gamergate, Comicsgate, and Star Wars as scenes of political controversy


Arjoranta, J., Kontturi, K., Varis, E., & Välisalo, T. (2020). Nörttikulttuurin identiteettikriisi : Gamergate, Comicsgate ja Star Wars poliittisten kiistojen näyttämöinä. Lähikuva, 33(3-4), 92-111. https://doi.org/10.23994/lk.100442


JYU authors or editors


Publication details

All authors or editors: Arjoranta, Jonne; Kontturi, Katja; Varis, Essi; Välisalo, Tanja

Journal or series: Lähikuva

eISSN: 2343-399X

Publication year: 2020

Volume: 33

Issue number: 3-4

Pages range: 92-111

Publisher: Lähikuva-yhdistys ry

Publication country: Finland

Publication language: Finnish

DOI: https://doi.org/10.23994/lk.100442

Publication open access: Openly available

Publication channel open access: Open Access channel

Publication is parallel published (JYX): https://jyx.jyu.fi/handle/123456789/73376


Abstract

Geek culture is having an identity crisis. Cultural objects that have traditionally been recognised as ‘geeky’ have shifted closer to the mainstream, which is dissolving the boundary between geeks and other users of contemporary media and technology. Inside geek culture, this is reflected in controversies over who gets to participate in consuming, creating, and defining the subculture, and how. The stereotype of geek culture as the domain of white heterosexual males has never been quite true, but in the 21st century, this false notion has become progressively harder to uphold.
In this article, we explore the crisis of geek culture through three case studies and analyse what Gamergate campaigns, Comicsgate controversy, and the discussion around The Last Jedi movie reveal about the conflicts in and around geek culture. We analyse the cases by the means of contextual close reading, focusing especially on what they reveal about the relationship between gender and geek identity. As a result, the article demonstrates how the mainstreaming of geek culture has broken the nostalgic illusion of its unity.


Keywords: subcultures; fandom; popular culture; identity (mental objects); identity politics; stereotypies; equality (values); gender roles; gendering; case study

Free keywords: nörttikulttuuri


Contributing organizations


Ministry reporting: Yes

VIRTA submission year: 2020

JUFO rating: 1


Last updated on 2024-12-10 at 08:00