2009-01-18, 00:54 | Link #1 |
Red Comet
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Which socioeconomic class do anime fans/otaku come from?
I am very interested in learning which class a lot of fandom comes from. I love sociology, so which is it.
Are anime fans, by and large, upper class? Middle-class children? Working class children? What is your opinion? Last edited by extremeotaku19; 2009-01-18 at 01:35. |
2009-01-18, 01:11 | Link #2 |
Obey the Darkly Cute ...
Author
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: On the whole, I'd rather be in Kyoto ...
Age: 66
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Anime fans come from all sorts of socioeconomic strata. Obviously, ones with Internet connections and some disposable cash are more able to support their habit - but very few people do not have access to those things in some fashion.
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Last edited by Vexx; 2009-01-18 at 01:41. Reason: Objections to first post addressed somewhat |
2009-01-18, 01:28 | Link #3 |
Pretentious moe scholar
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: Vancouver, Canada
Age: 37
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I was going to make a comment about education probably being a better indicator than straight social class - but then I realized that when I look outside the anime fans I know through my university anime club, there's a wide range there too. And a university anime club would be a "biased sample" for something like this for obvious reasons..
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2009-01-18, 01:35 | Link #5 |
Obey the Darkly Cute ...
Author
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: On the whole, I'd rather be in Kyoto ...
Age: 66
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Okay... you didn't have to apologize, I was just rather amazed at the archaic descriptions.
You reworded/clipped your first post.... (no longer relevant). I will say fans with more wealth tend to spend more time and money on their fandom.... but I know fans of anime who come from families who just scrape by as well as anime fans who basically can get anything they want. It isn't so much "which class" as it is a bell curve which crosses all classes. The top of the curve is probably in the upper middle class spectrum, but certainly "working class" (maybe blue-collar is a better word?) has its share of fans. Let us not forget that also quite wealthy fans exist (someone has to buy all those $$$$$$ collectibles after all).
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Last edited by Vexx; 2009-01-18 at 01:52. |
2009-01-18, 02:56 | Link #6 |
OK.
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: The Fields of High Attus
Age: 34
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I suspect your answer will also vary a fair bit between country and time period, although I presume you are aware of this...
My limited interaction with U.S. anime fans gives me the impression that they are generally in slightly higher "socioeconomic classes" than their Singaporean counterparts. However this is mostly based on a lot of guessing and little concrete evidence. It has to be noted that what's considered extravagant in one country/culture may be seen as a part of life, even an obligation in another... I haven't interacted with local fans in ages but I get the feeling there's a fairly even spread among most "classes" (excluding the extremities), with a slight lean towards middle-class - anime is available to the general population at a relatively early age to allow for widespread enjoyment, but I suspect long-term fans tend to have enough money to get related items (games, merchandise etc) that enhance their appreciation for anime and encourage continued participation in anime-related communities. </obvious>
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2009-01-18, 05:16 | Link #7 |
Banned
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Imperial Manila, Philippines
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There are two distinct classes here in the Philippines.
The Jologs class- Those who worship whatever's shown on Hero TV or Animax. Mainly because they don't have the means to feed their otakudom. The hardcore class- Those who can get themselves anime beyond the 2 channels and have some cash to spend on merchandise and cosplay items. |
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