Spider-Man: Homecoming & Marvel’s Unexpected Giant Dis to Bloggers

The worst things can happen when you open Twitter early in the morning. Finding Marvel’s unexpected giant dis to bloggers in Spider-Man: Homecoming isn’t exactly good marketing, is it? I haven’t seen the movie yet, but according to A Magical Mess, by the end of the movie, Tony says:

“Behind this door is a room full of reporters. Real ones–not bloggers”.

So, according to Faige, bloggers do nothing good for Marvel. Seriously? Most bloggers are fans who enjoy the movies and the comics and who will review them thoroughly. Bloggers share their thoughts, positive and negative, and also promote brands. Their followers will end up hitting the cinema, reading comics, and buying figurines if the reviews are excellent. So, why put down bloggers?

To be clear: bloggers come in all shapes and flavors: ex-reporters, writers, geek moms, geek daddies, teens… You name it! Some live from their blogs, and others only write as a hobby. But they all have something in common: they write and share all about the things they love. And, of course, they’ll be harsh if they don’t like something that their stains the fandoms they love.

And yup: this is the case.

A simple phrase like the one Tony Stark says at the end of the film diminishes the significant role many bloggers and fans have both online and offline. For starters, not only they market Marvel movies, comics, and merchandise for free, but they also generate revenue! Yes, bloggers go to the cinema and buy the tickets! (You have to watch the movie first before reviewing it!) Or they buy the Funko Pop figurines. Or whatever they end up spending their money into for later on sharing with their fans.

So, why bite the hand that gives you bread?

Apparently Marvel, in this case, Faige, didn’t think things through. Marketing the movie in television segments or during the Superbowl isn’t enough guys. We’re no living in the 90s anymore! The Internet has generated a new way of marketing things: through community and fandom. People help brands expanding their products by reviewing, sharing their feelings, or only writing all about whatever they consumed recently.

To be a blogger is to be the real thing. Reporters and bloggers are the real thing. Both share information about an outlet. Reporters do it according to the rules that the media they work for requires. Bloggers do it in the way their blog and their audiences want. Journalists follow writing guidelines according to the press that pays them, and bloggers follow suit according to their audiences.

Isn’t that the same?

So if Empire writes a review of Spider-Man: Homecoming stating that the movie is a disaster, that’s the real deal. And if thousands of bloggers review the same movie, and despite some errors end up discovering some good parts in it, that’s just fantasy. Are you kidding me?

I’m not talking about quantity. I’m talking about something else: looking beyond appearances.

You can have an article published by ScifiNow and be a total mess, and yet you can have a piece of literature in a blog! Something isn’t more or less real depending on the fundings the outlets have, but what’s delivered and shared!

To make my point clearer: just because ScifiNow has more money doesn’t mean that the quality is going to be good. And just because a blogger looks small doesn’t mean that the quality is going to be nonexistent.

So, is that joke out of tune? YES! It’s saying to your fandom that the blogs they write do not count. It’s telling them that sharing their views on whatever Marvel might be doing isn’t real. It’s telling them that whatever they do, they’ll never be the real thing.

Well, you’re wrong.

We’re the real thing. And if for some reason we get enraged, be assured that your pockets will suffer the consequences.

You depend on your fandom. Heavily.

Let me repeat it: Marvel, darling, you depend on your fandom.

And let me put things even more clear for you: Marvel, sweetheart, you depend on what people say about what you do! Not all fans have the same budgets, so these follow other fans, blogs, and outlets that review whatever you do. And so they’ll decide to spend their money on you or someone else depending on what it’s being said online.

“Behind this door is a room full of bloggers. Beware of what you do next”.

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PS: I know, it sounds harsh. But it isn’t. Fandoms are based on communities and the different relationships created among the different participants in popular culture. These relationships have changed since Internet appeared into our lives. We’re not simple consumers anymore. We also create and share. There are communities within communities. Some are stronger than others. But the bottom line here is that the rules have changed. And what was real or had a particular status some years ago doesn’t anymore. So, it’s time to change those specs and taking a look at how things work now! Don’t you think?