I should make it clear here that I consider myself an SPN fan (though I'm still in S2 and progressing very slowly) and that, on the whole, I don't think the SPN fandom is any different, really, than any other fandom. (At least, all of the fandoms I'm aware of (whether actively participating or not) right now include sane, intelligent people as well as malicious nuts.
(Case in point: a Castle fan today is stirring up some Bones fans by saying they wish Emily Deschanel had miscarried her baby so Bones would be canceled. (There is an increasingly troublesome rivalry between certain fans of those two shows - despite the fact that there are many people who love both.))
My memory of the TV Guide contest is that it was very close up until the last 48 hours or so - in fact, I think at one point or another the other three shows were all ahead. And then what was being reported (including by TVG tweets) was that SPN won by an insane landslide, though I don't think I saw a percentage or total of votes.
And then I saw people working out how many clicks the win would have involved and coming to the conclusion that it was done through some automated means - and now, every time they win something, the story/rumor gets repeated. (This is all on Twitter, btw, much of which has to be taken with a truck full of salt. Even the critics who've commented on it could be repeating hearsay.)
From where I sit, it's all of a piece. I know of Bones and Castle fans who said they were skipping work/classes to click the PCA votes, and that's no better (if true and not just a way to get some rather sick attention) than if someone did manage to automate voting for SPN. It says something about those fans; it doesn't say anything at all about the show, or its popularity.
At this point, I'd say there are some confused fans (in all the really active fandoms) who think "win (by any means) = best show" when it simply doesn't matter that much. It's no doubt a boost to the show or actors (although I have to wonder sometimes if all of them would prefer slightly less insane enthusiastic fans.)
But I know of no one who said, 'oh, wow! X show won that internet award! I'd better check it out!' and I'm dead certain network execs are never going to say 'Guess we'll renew X Show after all, since it's so popular' - because they all know those wins don't reflect anything that matters to them. (i.e., one viewer, one pair of eyeballs watching the screen.)
I really don't get why more awards aren't designed to be one voter/one vote. Those results would be interesting to me - regardless of who won.
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timeasmymeasure
no subject
Date: 2012-01-15 07:57 pm (UTC)(Case in point: a Castle fan today is stirring up some Bones fans by saying they wish Emily Deschanel had miscarried her baby so Bones would be canceled. (There is an increasingly troublesome rivalry between certain fans of those two shows - despite the fact that there are many people who love both.))
My memory of the TV Guide contest is that it was very close up until the last 48 hours or so - in fact, I think at one point or another the other three shows were all ahead. And then what was being reported (including by TVG tweets) was that SPN won by an insane landslide, though I don't think I saw a percentage or total of votes.
And then I saw people working out how many clicks the win would have involved and coming to the conclusion that it was done through some automated means - and now, every time they win something, the story/rumor gets repeated. (This is all on Twitter, btw, much of which has to be taken with a truck full of salt. Even the critics who've commented on it could be repeating hearsay.)
From where I sit, it's all of a piece. I know of Bones and Castle fans who said they were skipping work/classes to click the PCA votes, and that's no better (if true and not just a way to get some rather sick attention) than if someone did manage to automate voting for SPN. It says something about those fans; it doesn't say anything at all about the show, or its popularity.
At this point, I'd say there are some confused fans (in all the really active fandoms) who think "win (by any means) = best show" when it simply doesn't matter that much. It's no doubt a boost to the show or actors (although I have to wonder sometimes if all of them would prefer slightly less
insaneenthusiastic fans.)But I know of no one who said, 'oh, wow! X show won that internet award! I'd better check it out!' and I'm dead certain network execs are never going to say 'Guess we'll renew X Show after all, since it's so popular' - because they all know those wins don't reflect anything that matters to them. (i.e., one viewer, one pair of eyeballs watching the screen.)
I really don't get why more awards aren't designed to be one voter/one vote. Those results would be interesting to me - regardless of who won.