Gör det själv! Fansinet i Sverige
The purpose of this masters thesis is to examine the fanzine, a form of amateur publication, in Sweden, both in the traditional paper form and the more recent electronic form. It deals with what is distinctive about the fanzine as a publication and also as a social and cultural product. It also looks upon how the fanzine uses the Internet and the new possibilities it brings. The people behind 18 fanzines, 10 electronic and 8 in paper, have answered a questionnaire about how they produce, publish, distribute and promote their fanzines, what they think about the fanzine as a mode of expression, and how they use the Internet. The masters thesis uses theories within cultural studies as a theoretical approach to the fanzine. This includes theories about the fanzine as a textual product in fandom and about the fanzine as part of a cultural resistance against commercial mainstream media, and also theories about the fanzine on the Internet. As a publication the fanzine is distinguished by the personal level in the production. The fanzine is used by people as a way of making their voices heard. The fanzine provides a way to write about ones own interest and to communicate that with others. While rather exclusive in paper form the internet has made the fanzine available for a larger group of readers. The e-zine doesnt differ much from the paperzine in terms of substance and meaning, and the paperzine also use the Internet to gain availability through websites.