How Fans Shape Media - Participatory Culture (Henry Jenkins)

Author

Ettan Ehsan
March 12, 2026

Participatory culture explained: fans aren’t just audiences anymore—they’re collaborators who remix, circulate, and reshape stories.

In this episode, I speak with Professor Henry Jenkins ‪@USCAnnenberg‬ ‪@USC‬ , a pioneer of participatory culture and fan studies.

We explore how fandom evolved from “Textual Poachers” to today’s online communities - and what creators, platforms, and educators can learn from the way fans participate.