The Birth of Zines: Are They Changing the Game?
From their late 1920’s origin, Zines have recently gained online traction and have re-entered the realm of journalism. But what are they, why are they important and are they changing the game for corporate journalism?
Whilst I was doing some research for a previous post, I found myself in the online realm of ‘Zine’ Instagram accounts, and much like Alice in Wonderland, this hole that I fell down just kept going. There are so many accounts on Instagram for independent zines, where people write about what they want and how they want without needing anyone’s permission to do so (so if you read my last post, forget about the ISPO Code temporarily). I found them fascinating, so I wanted to investigate more about the Zine culture; what it means, what it represented and how it could, quite possibly, change the future path of journalism.
What’s a Zine?
At first, I thought Zine was just an abbreviation for magazine, as I’m sure many others thought as well. However, after further research, I found that a Zine is an independently or self-published booklet produced for a small circulation, distributed through mail order, social media and word of mouth. The beauty of Zine’s is the freedom, as you don’t need to follow any guidelines, and can effectively publish whatever you want; subversion, freedom of thought and an DIY attitude are at the core of Zine-making. Zines originated in the late 1920’s, where they were used to subvert dominant and patriarchal ideologies, and to this day, they still represent “marginalized voices disseminating information” and “publishing creative work about the things they love”. They stand independently in defiance against the world of corporate journalism’s rules and expectations, whilst also highlighting topics that are under represented or barely represented at all.
Why are they important?
Habermas (1989) expresses how early modern capitalism created the ideology of an ‘bourgeoise public sphere’, which is a place for an open, public debate. However, there are certain conditions for the public sphere to operate, which include: literary influences, coffee houses and primarily, the independent, market-based press. However, as the public sphere developed, it was taken over by “powerful corporate interests”, who converted the sphere into a place to “manipulate the public” and “manufacture consent”, rather than providing a space for freedom of speech, ideological progression and reporting for the market rather than the profit. Habermas’ idea of the public sphere was the ideal image of the media; a community built upon creativity, freedom of thought and cultural progressions.
In reflection of this, Zines inhabit Habermas’ ideal image and lead the way for a new form of journalism to progress independently, against the grains of corporate journalism. Beers (2016) would define Zines as a primary form of new independent journalism as they are “not subject to the most common pressures associated with the dominant, corporate form of ownership” but rather guided by a purpose or mandate other than the profit motive. In times of much needed cultural change, such as the #MeToo and #BlackLivesMatter movements, it is more important than ever to stand independently and go against the grain with purpose. Zines produce a space for opposing mainstream corporate journalism and openly welcome change, public debate and marginalised voices representing the market, rather than the profit.
Are Zines the way forward for Journalism?
According to Beers, many think the internet provides a public sphere for Habermas’ ideal of the media, and I would agree with them. An annual report by campaign highlighted the rise of “zine culture” as the core mainstream trend for creatives. In 2019, campaign recorded an 1,376% year-on-year increase in search for zines, as the digital world has provided a new accessible platform for zine-making.
Primarily, many zine’s are based on Instagram as it allows people to create their own cultures, but before Instagram, zine-lovers didn’t have a ready-made community to publish their work into and read others. However, now that there’s an ever-growing community on Instagram and the “zine culture” is on the rise, it would lead me to think that perhaps the two together will create a surge in both zine production and zine readers digitally, especially as the news industry is reportedly losing patience with Facebook and publishers are re-focusing attention elsewhere, which could be Instagram.
So, are Zine’s the way forward for journalism? In my opinion, yes they are. With more public debates around cultural change, such as the #MeToo and #BlackLivesMatter movements, I think many people within the public sphere are realising the importance of market-based press that represent the marginalized voices that perhaps “powerful corporate interests” disregard. Also, with the surge of “zine culture” digitally and the importance of the community formed on Instagram, either the movement will gain popularity and grow excessively independently, or current journalism corporations will appropriate the zine practice and it will begin to seep into mainstream journalism, much like Gonzo journalism. Either way, I think the space that Zines have produced within the journalism industry is very important, and will lead to progressive cultural change and gain leverage over profit-based press.
If you’re curious to discover more about Zines, then here is an archive of early publications. Finally, what do you think about Zines?
