The collective intelligence and shared knowledge of involved group members is, in short, what connects them. Jenkins mentions more than once in the two readings, that “none of us can know everything, but each of us knows something.” Combining the knowledge of individuals results in a great collective knowledge.
However, collective intelligence and shared knowledge are not the same. Shared knowledge is something that all members of the group “know” and agree upon – something the group’s very existence is based upon. For True Blood fans, this shared knowledge is comprised of several defining factoids, including (but not limited to):
1. Vampires are real. So are werewolves. And shape-shifters, telepaths, fairies… you get it.
2. The basic rules of being a vampire, modernized of course, and so much sexier.
3. Basic character dynamics and their relationships. Sookie loves Bill, Sam loves Sookie, Eric is the most awesome, etc.
The shared knowledge of a group is necessary for an individual to understand and be a part of the group itself. For example, my friend Alyssa is not a part of the True Blood community, because she doesn’t know the basics. She doesn’t possess the shared knowledge that the rest of the members do. She knows nothing about the plot or details such as names. For goodness sake, she doesn’t know what a Maynad is. In short, she can’t participate in discussions I might have with other friends about the show. She can’t be a part of the community because she lacks the required knowledge.
Collective intelligence is slightly more complicated on a large scale. Even though all group members are technically “combining” their knowledge, no one group member can ever know EVERYTHING. It is this fact that makes discussion and interaction possible within the community. After each True Blood episode, fans get together (more often digitally than in person) to discuss the events that had unfolded in the previous hour. The re-cap all the facts and details, putting them together to answer the one plaguing question: What’s going to happen next?
Engage collective intelligence. As the only avid reader in my household, I’m the only one who’s read all the Sookie Stackhouse novels by Charlaine Harris. This gives me access to facts and knowledge about the show that my friends don’t have. Because of the reading, I better understand some of the characters and their backgrounds, as well as much of the plot and its details. I knew Sookie and Bill were going to do it before she even spoke a word to him.
This is what makes up the knowledge community. It allows for communal, rather than individualistic reception of the idea(s). hardly anyone watches True Blood by themselves, and if you do, you can’t wait to discuss it with others. Everyone has their own opinions and hunches (is Arlene’s baby going to be evil, or did Sam really shoot Tommy?), and combining these different viewpoints can result in possible “solutions.” Maybe one day, we’ll actually predict something correctly.
Although the main focus here is on the “knowledge community,” I want to be sure to point out the important roles of convergence culture in all this. Shows like True Blood almost define the concept. Not only does the show combine old and new media (the book into an HBO program), but it brought the printed text alive in several new domains. There are True Blood websites and blogs, t-shirts, dvds… you name it, we’ve got it. Episodes spark “water cooler conversations” all over. I hear them at work, on campus, at Publix, and every time I do, I want to chime in. I feel like I have a connection with the girl in front of me at Sumo Sabi, just because I also want Hoyt and Jessica to get back together. By bringing these conversations outside of our living rooms, we are being active audience members.
Being a part of this community provides me a lot of benefits, most of them social. Through regular screenings and discussion over True Blood, I’ve become closer to my friends, even met a lot of new people because they are also fans. There’s something about extensive knowledge of made-up mythical (and sexual) creatures that really brings people together. I’ve also found certain catchphrases or terms making their way into my vocabulary (“that’s some crazy Maryanne shit”). Being a True Blood fanatic, I mean follower also ensures that I’ve got something to fill my Sunday nights (during the season anyway… come on, season 4!).
Something very important to keep in mind are the differences in the interest of the producers versus the consumers. We want to know what’s going to happen next, we want to figure it out. We go back and forth between episodes, reference the books, even go on fan pages and the HBO site hoping for some revelation. But it is just this that keeps the whole thing going. The producers don’t want us to know, but they want us to want it. By straying so far from the books, they’ve pretty much eliminated any chance I thought I’d had to begin with. The show is ultimately impossible to “spoil.” The fact that Lafayette’s character didn’t even make it past the first book gives me no hope.
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