Now launching Survey 2

Starting at Katsucon, and continuing through the rest of the year, I am implementing the second part of my research. Those who took part in the first phase filled out surveys relating to discovery, expenditures and socialization while attending conventions, and the activities they took part in while there. That survey was designed and executed for use in the MA thesis, and the information provided me with a solid foundation on why people attend cons, what they get out of them, what matters when selecting new cons and how much the con impacts their everyday lives.

The second part of my research deals with some of the things that are well known to con attendees, but would not have "passed muster" with the IRB at my university. Rather than fight to get them into the first questionnaire (and thus extend its length by a few pages), I have taken what I learned from the first survey and used it to create a second, tied to the further extension of the project. Issues of personal hygiene, elitism and sexual encounters, along with a further exploration of the spending habits of fans while at cons, will all be explored in yet another anonymous survey.

Thankfully, this one is much shorter, and much faster, as it relies more on data than short answers, and "gets to the point" faster, instead of "beating around the bush." I also need far fewer responses this time around.

and the beat goes on...

Friends and Diversity, by Rorschach aka Dakota Schuck

I have been attending anime conventions for over 4 years and have made many diverse friends, and when I say “diverse,” I really mean it. One thing about anime conventions that has become plainly evident to me over the years is the extreme broadness of the demographics represented at these events.
To illustrate this point I will draw from my own pool of personal friends whom I know through cosplay and conventions: I have met several illustrators, artists, costume designers, and musicians through anime conventions; there is not much of a surprise that these artistic types would be attracted to the cosplay subculture. However, the list does not stop there; others I have befriended at anime conventions include several ex-military personnel (mostly Marines and Navy), a surgeon, research scientist, truck driver, rancher, stuntman, and an anthropologist (whose website I am currently writing for). The diversity of the careers represented in the above list is by no means exhaustive, and this is not to place a limit to the eclectic mix represented at conventions, as these are simply the people I, as one individual, have personally befriended.
Not only are the careers of convention attendees widely varied, but the same can be said for the socioeconomic backgrounds of we super nerds. Again, drawing from the con-goers I know, there are cosplayers from the upper segments of society like a friend of mine who lives in a snazzy southern California mansion. On the other side of the spectrum are people I know who sleep in their cars and spend months saving enough money to attend a convention.
Another area in which my Cosplay friend group shows unusual diversity is that of age. As a 20 year old college student, I have good friends ranging in age from 15 to 30 years. These examples are only a fraction of all the diverse demographics represented at the nerdy havens called conventions. Cultural, ethnic, and religious differences are also widely varied—and accepted.
The interesting thing about the anime convention crowd is that these differences are mostly ignored at conventions; people are more likely to be judged by costume quality, nerdiness, and how fun they are to be around.

Friday OP-ED

Well, the tangent bug has struck me again. Somewhat dissatisfied with my recent postings, I feel the need to revamp some things on the site. In addition, Katsucon is coming up, and I think it's finally time to drop my notes from the Mythology panels on here, so anyone coming from the con can easily access them.

That said, for today I have a special treat. Back at AUSA, I met a guy cosplaying Rorschach when he dropped by my table. We got to talking, shared some ideas, he gave me a great story, and I decided to ask him to write a short opinion piece for the site. Needless to say, he gave me a good one. So I will be posting it right after this update.

In other news, my research tabulations are drawing to a close, I have a few more things to do, but aside from that, I feel I finally have enough to mount a good analysis of con culture. I would again like to thank everybody who filled out a survey, came to a panel, shared a story, or just chilled in the hall with me. Special thanks go out to Abby for helping me get all these results, without her I would never have gotten the 100 from Otakon, the 65 from Nekocon or the 170 from AUSA. Special thanks also go out to Nagi for her continued support and for giving me the idea in the first place. Special thanks as well to David Lu Esq, for giving me the legal advice and release forms.

And last, but not least, special thanks go to Aleks. She knows why. I love you, Pantsu.

Reflection 3: Gone Connin'

The mark of a good ethnologist is knowing your population. Now, for most ethnologists, this involves a lot of searching; discerning your population, selecting an adequate sample size, seeking out where they live and work, and finally living among them long enough to get enough information to write their piece. This basic system is practically universal, whether you study indigenous populations in South America or subgroups within the United States. And it is also extremely time consuming. Without a population, you have no research subjects. With too small a population, you may find resistance to your questions, or simply not enough informants to make your research valid within your time frame. With too large of one, you can never reach a solid sample size without lots of help. They teach this to you in every introduction course in anthropological theory, so you at least know what to expect when you hit the field. But sometimes, getting your population is a matter of pure chance, finding the right group at the right time.

Thank god for luck.

I knew after Katsucon that I would need to hit a lot more conventions than I had previously thought. I had never heard of Katsucon before Nekocon 2008, despite the fact that it was a long running, and very large attendee convention. I should take this time to point out that prior to last year, my friend Nagi was the one who found and booked cons. I would just fork over whatever my share of the room and gas was and go with her. Add to this the fact that most of the cons I saw in the Dealer’s Room were already cons I knew about, and had attended previously, and the world was much smaller to me. I had figured I would just go to the cons I had been to and hope to scrape by with enough replies for a good random sample.

Katsucon was the first one I actually had to make arrangements for myself. I needed to find my own way down there, preregister, scout a hotel room and make sure I had enough space in my bags to carry all my gear. I also had a time crunch -about 3 weeks- before the con went down. So, needless to say, I was caught with my proverbial pants down. I would have written the con off, but I knew that I needed to at least see what I was getting myself into, and hopefully have a chance to throw around a few surveys and as a test run. Fortunately, my dumb luck had managed to kick in.

I mentioned earlier that part of the reason Nekocon 2008 had been such a flyby was that I spent a good chunk of it working for a vendor. Well, before I left I asked him if he ever needed help at other cons. He, of course, said yes, and that he would gladly accept whatever assistance I could offer him. Fast forward to January 2009, and I drop him a line on the off chance that he had space for Katsu. He did. He also had a food budget, rooms and badges. Just like that, my problems vanished. I had an “in” for Katsu that would save me a chunk of money and get me on the floor faster.

Katsucon wasn’t quite the success I had hoped for it. I admittedly had very low standards going in, and I missed them all. I didn’t bring questionnaires with me, as they weren’t even edited by that point. I conducted one interview (with my boss), but no time to set any up with attendees. I got so little sleep, I could barely function. But, as with anything in life, Katsu was a learning experience. I learned exactly how much stress my body could take. I learned how fast paced a larger con could be. I learned more than my fair share about expenses, booking for travel and time budgeting. I also learned that I was woefully underprepared for any real research, and I needed to haul up before Anime Boston came around.

Thankfully, I was ready for that one.

Under Construction(ish)!

 

We'll be unveiling a new design sometime tonight! Sit tight while we tweak a few things.