Pan-fandom

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Synonyms:
See also: Fanhand, Multifandom
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Within media fandom, pan-fandom refers to media fandom overall, in a meta sense -- not just the sum total of all possible fandoms (and fans), but also things like zine-based fandom, cons, fanfic in general, fanart in general, widespread story tropes, vidding, fannish lingo, etc.

Thus, spaces that encourage interaction among fans without focusing on individual fandom preferences would be pan-fandom spaces (e.g. Fandom Wank, Metafandom, the Fanfic Symposium, FCA-L). Pan-fandom podcasts such as Shipping & Handling and Fansplaining include wide-ranging explorations of fandoms and fandom life. Similarly, Robin Hobb's Fan Fiction Rant is a pan-fandom rant, in that it talks about all fanfic writers everywhere.

Pan-fandom, as the alternate form panfandom, most often refers to a type of roleplay/roleplay forum where different series get crossed over and characters from them are thrown into one "neutral" world not a part of any preexisting media. This genre of RP was popularized in the late 2000s and spiked in popularity from 2016 to 2021.

Contrast this term with multifandom, which refers to multiple individual fandoms, while leaving out the more meta aspects.

Examples

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Podcasts