Heidegger i aktywizm fanów. Manifestacje <i>poiēsis</i> we współczesnej mobilizacji społeczności online: (Article in English/Artykuł w języku angielskim)

Justin Michael Battin; Elle Rystakova

doi:10.31261/errgo.7560

Published: 2020-07-28

No. 40 (2020)

Heidegger and Fan Activism: Unveiling the Presence of Poiēsis in Contemporary Online Social Mobilization

Justin Michael Battin , Elle Rystakova

Section: studies and essays

https://doi.org/10.31261/errgo.7560

(Article in English/Artykuł w języku angielskim)

Abstract

This article draws its inspiration from both Heidegger’s theses introduced in his landmark essay, “The Question Concerning Technology” (1977 [1956]) and his interpretation of poiēsis, a concept discussed throughout a range of works in the later portion of his career, in order to demonstrate the multidimensional foundation that drives successful online activist campaigns. In the contemporary era, among the most pressing concerns, as professed by Taylor (2018) and Dreyfus and Kelly (2011), is a widespread lack of existential commitment. Channeling Heidegger, and to an extent Kierkegaard, they proclaim that all things, including ourselves and our interests, are increasingly malleable and subject to revision depending on their applicability of being wielded as commodities in various social circumstances, specifically for the accruement of social capital. This phenomenon shows itself with remarkable clarity in a practice referred to as “mouse-click solidarity” (Herzogenrath-Amelung 2018), online communal engagement that lacks any substantive devotion or involvement. Fan activism, or cultural acupuncture, as it has been coined by Jenkins (2011), demonstrates a unique opportunity to explore social movements imbued with and inspired by sincere and legitimate commitment. Fan activism, in contrast to mouse-click solidarity (or slacktivism), is a form of online social media engagement that relies upon a user’s previously established devotion to a text, as well as an understanding of how its themes are applicable to understand real world issues. Such a combination has a unique ability to not only foster an irresistible desire to participate with likeminded others in order to ensure specific issues are addressed, but also an awareness of how individuals are involved in the cultivation of world. A Heideggerian interpretation of poiēsis is the critical component that sparks and sustains fan activist campaigns, as this concept unveils how we are both affected by world and compelled to engage, or dwell, with it. Through an analysis of fan activist campaigns, this chapter argues that revitalizing poiēsis in our everyday life, in particular as it concerns our communal self, is critical for reviving a sense of commitment in the world and, subsequently, to once again position and understand human beings as uniquely transformative agents.

Keywords:

Fan Activism , Mobile Social Media , Harry Potter Alliance , Heidegger , Poiēsis

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Battin, J. M., & Rystakova, E. (2020). Heidegger and Fan Activism: Unveiling the Presence of <i>Poiēsis</i> in Contemporary Online Social Mobilization: (Article in English/Artykuł w języku angielskim). Er(r)go. Theory - Literature - Culture, (40), 63–83. https://doi.org/10.31261/errgo.7560

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Justin Michael Battin

justin.battin@icloud.com

Affiliation:

RMIT University, Vietnam Viet Nam

Bio Statement (e.g., department and rank)

Justin Michael Battin is Lecturer of Communication at RMIT University in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. His research focuses on intersecting various strands of Heidegger’s philosophy with the everyday uses of mobile media technologies and mobile social media. He is the author of Mobile Media Technologies and Poiēsis (Palgrave Macmillan, 2017) and a co-editor of We Need To Talk About Martin: Essays Situating Heidegger in Contemporary Media Studies (Peter Lang Verlag, 2018).

Elle Rystakova

Affiliation:

Faculty of Philology University of Silesia in Katowice, Poland Poland

Bio Statement (e.g., department and rank)

Elle Rystakova is an MA student in the Institute of English Cultures and Literatures at the University of Silesia in Katowice, Poland. Her research interests include contemporary social media slacktivism and tracing the presence of affect in fan activist campaigns.

No. 40 (2020)
Published: 2020-07-28

ISSN: 1508-6305

eISSN: 2544-3186

10.31261/errgo

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University of Silesia Press | Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Śląskiego i Wydawnictwo Naukowe "Śląsk"

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Heidegger and Fan Activism: Unveiling the Presence of Poiēsis in Contemporary Online Social Mobilization

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Elle Rystakova

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