fanthropologists

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The Fanthropologists Episode 27: Baldur's Gate 3: The Worm in your Brain - a Microcosm of Themes

In this episode, Bridgette and Syd talk about themes of power, agency, and social structures in the story of Baldur's Gate 3. This episode is 90% thinking too much about a videogame, with about 10% anthropological theory thrown in at the very end.

Listen Here!

Bibliography:

BOURDIEU, P. 1977. Outline of a theory of practice, New York, Cambridge University Press.

GIDDENS, A. 1979. Central Problems in Social Theory: Action, Structure, and Contradiction in Social Analysis, Berkeley, University of California Press.

GIDDENS, A. 1984. The Constitution of Society: Outline of the Theory of Structuration, Cambridge, Polity Press.

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The Fanthropologists Episode 26: The Fandomification of Formula 1

In this episode Syd and Bridgette discuss Formula 1 and its internet fandom fanbase. Specifically, they discuss Formula 1 TikTok, driver 'pairing' names, edits, and Brocedes. Bridgette remembers Frosties; Syd defends their baby girls; both consider the equestrian nature of the sport.

Listen here!

Episode recorded on April 15, 2024

Bibliography:

Brocedes Tiktok Mentioned by: Silver_streets (the og link I had doesn't work sorry!!!!)

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The Fanthropologists Episode 25: SILENCE BRAND! An Episode on Tiktok Ads

In this episode, Bridgette and Syd discuss advertisements on Tiktok! They go over the different forms the take, what they signal to the consumer, and what they say about the ways companies try to market to young people. For fun, they touch on a bit of Peircean Semiotics along the way.

Listen to the episode here!

Mentioned beloved Tiktok accounts:

Roll for Sandwich: adventuresinaardia

Tinned Fish Recommendations: daywithmei

Bibliography:

Peirce, C.S., 1931–36. The Collected Papers. Volumes 1–6. Eds. Charles Hartshorne and Paul Weiss. Cambridge M.A.: Harvard University Press.

As cited by: Atkin, Albert, Spring 2023 Edition. "Peirce’s Theory of Signs", The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Eds. Edward N. Zalta & Uri Nodelman. https://plato.stanford.edu/archives/spr2023/entries/peirce-semiotics/.

Becker Digital, 2024. "Gen Z Marketing: What's Trust Got to Do with it?". Becker Digital. https://www.becker-digital.com/blog/gen-z-marketing-trust-factor#:~:text=Gen%20Zers%20differ%20significantly%20from,immune%E2%80%9D%20to%20traditional%20advertising%20methods

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The Fanthropologists Episode 24: Baldur's Gate 3 Lies and Misinformation

In this episode, Bridgette and Syd lie through their teeth in an attempt to construct the characters and plot of Baldur's Gate 3 solely through memes and spoilers. This episode is half fun, half an exercise in misinformation through incomplete information. Apologies for the audio quality - the next episode is back to normal! 

Listen here!

[fanthropologists]

You may have guessed, but we had to take a hiatus in May due to technical difficulties and grant deadlines! We'll be back June 7th with a fun, non-serious Baldur's Gate 3 episode for y'all :)

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The Fanthropologists Episode 23: A Metapragmatic Analysis of Couch Theory

In this episode Syd and Bridgette get into the meat of Couch Theory using a linguistic anthropological theory called metapragmatics! They break down both theories, clown about Buddie, and Bridgette excitedly awaits for PS5.

Listen here!

Next Episode: May 3rd

Bibliography:

Baron, Joanne. (2014). Metapragmatics in Archaeological Analysis: Interpreting Classic Maya Patron Deity Veneration. University of Chicago Press.

Parmentier, R. J. (1997). The pragmatic semiotics of cultures. Semiotica 116 (1):1-114.

Silverstein, M. (2022). Language in Culture: Lectures on the Social Semiotics of Language. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

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Hi Fanthropologists! There's not a new episode this month, but in honor of 911 (ABC) returning next week, we highly recommend one of our 911 episodes!

Episode 8: #eddie would NEVER: Ryan Guzman & Chicano Aesthetics

Episode 2: Buddie Clowning Part 1 Ft Jax

Episode 3: Buddie Clowning Part 2 Ft Jax

See y'all next month!

[fanthropologists]

The Fanthropologists Episode 22: SCP Foundation: An Ethnography of a Fictional Institution

In this episode, Bridgette and Syd dive into the SCP Foundation. They break down what it is, how it works, and the dangers of the institution's philosophy. Enjoy a brief vignette, some analysis, and overall a very silly little project.

Listen Here!

Next Episode: March 1st

Bibliography:

Icephoenix44. “SCP-6480.” SCP Foundation: Secure Contain Protect. 11.26.23

Chaucer345. “SCP-5316”. SCP Foundation: Secure Contain Protect. 11.26.23

Dino--Draws. “SCP-7765”. SCP Foundation: Secure Contain Protect. 11.26.23

ModernMajorGeneral. “SCP-5013”. SCP Foundation: Secure Contain Protect. 11.26.23

Sirpudding. “SCP-2111.” SCP Foundation: Secure Contain Protect. 11.26.23

OptimisticLucio. “Guide for Newcomers”. SCP Foundation: Secure Contain Protect. 11.26.23

Creepy music provided by freestockmusic.com

[fanthropologists]

Fanthropologists Episode 21: State of The Union AKA Chatty Episode

Happy New Year, Fanthropologists! This is a fun, chatty, episode with zero anthropology to be found. Recorded on November 5th, this episode remembers Destiel's canonning; Syd offers a dishwasher metaphor; Bridgette wishes Hallmark movies would push the envelope; and Bridgette's immortal backstory is revealed.

Listen here on Spotify!

Next Episode: February 2nd

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Fanthropologists Episode 20: Taylor Swift & Material Nostalgia

"So make the friendship bracelets, take the moment and taste it" In this episode Syd and Bridgette dive into the ways Taylor Swift elicits a feeling of nostalgia through using material items (like merch and clothing) and the concept of the adult teenage girl. Syd clowns about Reputation (TV), Bridgette talks about going to the Fearless tour, and both discuss the teenage bedroom!

Listen here on Spotify!

Next Episode: January 5th

Bibliography:

Rososman, Margaret. 2022. "Taylor Swift, remediating the self, and nostalgic girlhood in tween music fandom," Transformative Works and Cultures.

[fanthropologists]

Thank you all!

Thank you all so much for listening to us, and letting us talk about Anthropology and Fandom! It means so much that you decided to check us out. We've got one more episode for this year (which I'm sure will tie verrryyy nicely into someone's Spotify Wrapped), and then we'll be back in 2024 with more new episodes.

Thanks again all!

[fanthropologists]

The Fanthropologists Episode 19: We Roll a Tumblr Sexyman

In this episode, Syd and Bridgette use DND-style character creation to create the newest Tumblr Sexyman. There is little to no anthropology in this episode - just some fun.

The glasses we use as a reference

Listen to the episode here!

Next Episode: December 1st!

[fanthropologists]

Hello All!

For our December or January episode, we'd like to answer questions you guys have about us, our takes on fandom, or anything else you'd like to know!

If you want to submit something, feel free to either send an ask or put it in the replies. And let us know if you'd like us to mention your username or omit it. Thanks!

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Fanthropologists Episode 18: Beyond the Pale: Disco Elysium and Getting Stuck in the Past

Apologies for the late upload! This week, Bridgette and Syd discuss "Disco Elysium" and its important world-building element, The Pale. They talk about how The Pale acts as a part of larger themes around Nostalgia, and may serve as a critique of mythicized pasts which are weaponized by authoritarian regimes.

Stick around until the end to hear Bridgette's entirely unrelated rant about Grease!

Listen to the episode here!

Next episode: November 3rd (probably)

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Fanthropologists Episode 17: Conventions & Political Economy

Happy anniversary! A year ago we uploaded our first episode, and over a year ago we sat in the hallway of a convention center considering conventions and political economy. In this episode you'll find discussions of conventions as spaces for people on the margins, gender dynamics in conventions, and the sound of a trash truck!

Listen to the episode here!

Next episode: October 6th

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Fanthropologists Episode 15: The Last of Us & Kinship

In this episode, Syd and Bridgette walk through various types of kinship and the ways it interacts with The Last of Us. Kinship is an early practice in anthropology that has went through developments and adaptations such as queer kinship (which we talk about here!) and Indigenous kinship (a la Burkhart, 2019). There's debate Joel and Tess' relationship, and a total of ten exclamations of "TOMMY".

Listen to the episode here!

Next episode: September 1st

[Recorded pre-SAG AFTRA strike, June 16, 2023]

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Fanthropologists Episode 15: Spirituality and the Algorithm

In this episode, Bridgette and Syd explore the ways spirituality (particularly tarot as a practice) interact with TikTok's algorithm. Creators conducting divination practices often claim a video was meant for the viewer, and reached them despite an absence of a description or tags. This phenomenon, coupled with a general lack of public knowledge re: algorithms and how they work, deifies the algorithm and leads to an interesting blending of technology and spiritual practice.

We touch on what these videos look like, how the algorithm plays into them, and how this may affect the spirituality-to-alt-right pipeline.

Listen to the Episode Here!

Further Reading (Alternate Title: A Really Cool Article Bridgette heard about after recording and editing the episode): COTTER, K., DECOOK, J. R., KANTHAWALA, S. & FOYLE, K. 2022. In FYP We Trust: The Divine Force of Algorithmic Conspirituality. International Journal of Communication, 16, 1-23.

Additionally, TikTok User T.X. Watson is aiding researchers in conducting a study on this very topic. Interested? Watch the tiktok

Next Episode: August 4th - The Last of Us and Kinship.

Bibliography:

MASON, C. The New-Age to Alt-Right Pipeline [Online]. Salt.  Accessed 2023

PETERS, M. A. 2022. New Age Spiritualism, Mysticism, and Far-Right Conspiracy [Online]. PESA Agora.  Accessed 2023.

WISEMAN, E. 2021. The Dark Side of Wellness: The Overlap Between Spiritual Thinking and Far-Right Conspiracies [Online]. The Guardian. Accessed  2023