Online forums can sometimes be very distant or impersonal, with members simply posting their own opinions without an expectation of response or conversation in return. The fan forums on the CBS television show, The Big Bang Theory, however, have created very personable and comfortable forums where fans can post their frustrations, but also be social and have some fun. Whether commenting on how cute they think the “Shamy” situation is, or completely ripping on the relationship, the fans can feel comfort in knowing that the internet forums offer a place to share their ideas with people who care.
With so many social media sites available on the Internet, like forums, fans no longer have to complain to their best friend or loved one when they are upset with their favorite TV show. It’s clear that recent changes in the show have irritated many of The Big Bang Theory fans. The various changes, such as the addition of the characters Amy Farah Fowler and Howard’s fiancé Bernadette, as well as a lack of science jokes, have caused many fans to express their distaste via online forums. Fans find threads such as “Is the big bang theory getting worse?” and “Bernadette is RUINING the show!” where they are able to express themselves to a community interested in what they have to say.
Think the show has lost its scientific appeal? So do many other BBT fans who voice this disgust toward the lack of science jokes on the internet forums, something they thought was very prominent in the first few seasons. Numerous fans now feel as though the science aspect has totally disappeared; that the writers are spending more time on shows like Two and a Half Men and almost completely disregarding The Big Bang Theory. Trini_bazinga_girl, a fan of TBBT, complained on The Big Bang Theory Fan Forum site that, “This is not the show that we have all grown to love. The scientific factor in the show is COMPLETELY missing. Replaced by relationship drama.” Forums have allowed members to share complaints such as these with people who feel the same way or care about the subject.
(For any BBT fans out there who need a place to vent, online fan forums such as The Big Bang Theory Fansite Forum and The Big Bang Theory Fan Forum site are great places to go for deep discussions on the show.)
Since many fans post about their frustrations, one might think that the fan sites would become dark and pessimistic, but this is not the case. The fans’ interest in the quirkiness and geek culture of the show is reflected in the way that they act on the forums. Despite the frustrations that many of the BBT fans feel toward the show, they still continue to form close-knit and playful communities on the forums that welcome members of all experience levels.
When a new member joins a forum, other members welcome them with open arms. On The Big Bang Theory Fansite Forum, most new members introduce themselves by posting on the “Welcome Wagon” thread. One member, missmaddi, posted a message when she joined the forum in November of 2011: “Hey everyone, I love BBT, my friends in college got together to watch it and talk about it every Thurs but I graduated this year so I watch it in my house alone…just wanted some BBT fan company.” The other fans on the forum replied with countless “welcome!” exclamations or expressions of “greetings”, wishing the new member enjoyment on the boards. Even though they may disagree on a thread down the road about how funny Bernadette or Sheldon was in last night’s episode, the fans still manage to be friendly with one another and joke around.
Fans also resort to playful games and quizzes to spark conversation and friendship on the forums. There are games such as “TBBT What’s the Next Line Game #1” where fans creatively discuss their favorite quotes through a game that requires them to name the next line in a quote. Not only do they participate in the game, but they also have side conversations and tease each other when they’re wrong, creating a playful atmosphere. There are also various quizzes and scavenger hunt activities that fans participate in to become closer with their fellow members.
When there is no one else to turn to, no one who understands your passion for The Big Bang Theory, the online forums are where to go. Comfortable and personable, TBBT fan forums offer deep discussions and outlets for venting, understand fans’ pain, but also allow for their inner geeks to let loose and have some fun.
<script src=”http://storify.com/MUndestad/big-bang-theory.js?template=slideshow”></script><noscript><a href=”http://storify.com/MUndestad/big-bang-theory” target=”_blank”>View the story “The Big Bang Theory” on Storify</a>]</noscript>
Great presentation! Do you think the writers of “The Big Bang Theory” ever read the forums about the show and take into consideration the fan’s opinions?
Good question! That’s actually really interesting that you mentioned the writers, since I looked into that for part of my research paper. In terms of opinions about the show, I think that the writers might read and take into consideration what the fans have to say, but don’t necessarily do much with it. They probably look to see if fans are happy or not, since for the show to be successful they need to keep in mind what the fans want. When it comes to ideas on storyline though, I learned that the writers do not look at what fans share.
A lot of the fans on the forums I analyzed posted comments and possible episode scripts in hopes of the writers seeing their opinions. For legal reasons, however, the writers are not supposed to actually read these ideas that the fans post. One of the fans on the fan forum explained this reasoning in a reply to another fan asking if the writers would read their idea if they posted it on the forum. They explained that if the writers were to write an episode script, and a fan wrote a similar script idea that the writer may have read online, there could be discrepancy of whether or not the writers came up with the idea or took it from the fan. It’s easier in terms of legal matters if the writers simply don’t read the posts, because it will eliminate the possibility of fans accusing the writers of stealing their ideas.
I like how your presentation focused on the different principles that make a successful social media site/community. Going through the principles and showing how the Office community satisfies each principle was a really engaging way to analyze the community. It made your presentation very focused and easy to follow!
[video]
I’ve never heard of sabermetrics before so I had no idea how big it was in the baseball industry. It was very interesting to learn about! One of the points in the presentation that stuck out to me was the idea of people testing the validity of their statistics or algorithms online. It’s interesting that they have blogs devoted to this idea.
I thought it was really cool how the groups tweet during the show and interact with their fans. It’s also fun how they use twitter to ask the fans questions and then allow them to answer during the show. It makes it that much more interactive. It seems like the show has taken huge advantage of using Twitter to involve its fans and promote the show.
I really liked the quote you shared in your presentation about Etsy being more than a marketplace, rather, a community. I was also really impressed by the website literacyhead.com that you shared. It’s really cool that the site uses art to help people learn to read, especially through its collaboration with Etsy. That’s awesome that the site asked to use your work. Beautiful picture!
(via erinnk-deactivated20120229)
<script src=”http://storify.com/MUndestad/big-bang-theory.js?template=slideshow”></script><noscript><a href=”http://storify.com/MUndestad/big-bang-theory” target=”_blank”>View the story “The Big Bang Theory” on Storify</a>]</noscript>
Erinn Komschlies 111O: "The Twelve Major Problems with Twitter" -
http://socialmediatoday.com/index.php?q=SMC/72690
The author of this article clearly has a negative view of Twitter. He does have some good points that I agree with.
I especially like “Nobody is listening, even fewer people care” and “It feels like a two-way connection but it’s not.”
I don’t…
The lack of conversation that you pointed out in Twitter is really interesting. I think it really depends on the user and their followers, though. Some people constantly use @replies when they tweet, and thus have many conversations and interactions with those who follow them. Some use so many @replies that it would almost seem as though they could accomplish the same thing via text. The difference, I feel, is that Twitter requires much less of an obligation to reply right away. However, as you said, there are also many users who simply post statements without much conversation.
It’s also really hard to tell when people are actually reading our tweets or not. I agree that more often than not it feels like they aren’t. Unless you receive an @reply, RT, or have your tweet favorited, there really isn’t much of a way to gauge if people are indeed reading what you share, which at times can make it seem pointless.
(via erinnk-deactivated20120229)
Can Twitter Ever Have Academic Value? -
Interesting article relevant to social media classes/studies. The article itself is a summary of a document created ”for academics wishing to use Twitter”, written by Amy Mollett, Danielle Moran and Patrick Dunleavy from The London School of Economics and Political Science. (The article links to the manual if you care to check it out.) In the article summary though, the author, Adi Gaskell, talks about the different ways that Twitter can be used academically. For example: to promote/share blog posts or to be used in teaching.