How does a novel become a bestseller, an author a star? These are questions that scientists will be discussing at the "Precarious Alliances" conference. Oldenburg-based popular culture researcher Martin Butler is already revealing that personal networks and social media play an important role.
QUESTION: Almost 15 million users have clicked on the parody of the video clip "Rockstar" by the Canadian band "Nickelback". Thanks to YouTube, anyone can become a star today. Is social media revolutionising the production and reception of culture?
BUTLER: Not only social media, but also other technologies that Web 2.0 makes available to us. Consumers are also actively involved in the creation of content - for example, when they upload videos to YouTube or share bestsellers. Social media expert Axel Bruns has described this phenomenon with the term 'produser'.
QUESTION: Can the connection between producing and receiving still be summarised in the concept of the author?
BUTLER: There are completely new forms of collaborative cultural production on the Net. And against this background, we also have to rethink categories such as "author", "reader" or "text". But it's not just today that a change in the media is calling these categories into question. The invention of printing also changed the understanding of "author" and "text" enormously - as did the "usual" forms of cooperation between individual actors in the production and distribution of texts at the time.
QUESTION: It is precisely these forms that are the subject of the literary and cultural studies conference "Precarious Alliances" that you are organising.
BUTLER: Yes, although the conference will focus in particular on historical forms of cooperation in the literary and cultural sector. For example, between authors, critics and readers or in literary movements. However, these historical forms contribute significantly to understanding today's dynamics.
QUESTION: The conference, which is taking place from 14 to 16 June at the Hanse-Wissenschaftskolleg in Delmenhorst, is international and interdisciplinary.
BUTLER: Scholars from many disciplines are coming together: from American Studies, English Studies, German Studies, Dutch Studies, Slavic Studies, Book Studies and Media Studies. They are working on various historical periods - from the Middle Ages to the 21st century. The conference is essentially supported by a co-operation between the literary studies colleagues of School III. Many other experts will round off the programme. And we are looking forward to interesting keynote speakers such as Henry Jenkins, the renowned media and popular culture expert from the University of Southern California, who will give a lecture on "Spreadable Media: Creating Value and Meaning in a Networked Culture". Jenkins is one of the leading scientists in this field and it is of course wonderful that he will be coming to the HWK.
QUESTION: The author as an integral part of a networked culture - and no longer working in seclusion?
BUTLER: We start from the assumption that a text does not simply emerge out of nowhere and is disseminated. An author doesn't become a star just like that, a novel doesn't become a bestseller just like that. Creative artists are not soloists, but embedded in a network of relationships between actors who pursue very different goals. The reader - whether fan, reviewer or literary scholar - has far more influence on the literary scene than one might think. We want to get to the bottom of these mechanisms historically and systematically.
QUESTION: What are these influencing factors?
BUTLER: New distribution channels on the internet or the importance of literary prizes for career paths and sales figures - to name just two examples. These are factors that contribute significantly to the success or failure of a book. This will also be the topic of the conference.
The conference "Precarious Alliances" will take place from 14 to 16 June at the Hanse-Wissenschaftskolleg in Delmenhorst.