Today is such a dark day for the Internet — Article 13, a set of broad copyright regulations, has been passed in the EU. For those who are not informed, Article 13 is a copyright law that critics say will lead to European Internet users' content being pre-screened for copyright-protected material. This could affect one of the most dedicated groups of internet users: fandoms. Fandoms are groups of fans who share a strong and passionate interest for an anime, a movie, a TV show, a band, or celebrity, etc.
How does Article 13 truly affect fandoms? It destroys the fandoms' ways of expressing their creativity and love. This includes fan art, fan fiction, fan music covers, and even fan blogs on the Internet. All of this content will end up being censored and taken down from the Internet.
Why should we care? Believe it or not, but fandoms aren't just small groups of fans. They involve numerous people! Also, fandoms not only hold an influence on the success of a particular TV show and certain franchises, but also fandoms have helped improve many people's mental health. By mental health, many people have built many friendships and connections due to a common interest, giving people a sense of belonging and a feeling of home. Considering this, it's such a shame that European users who belong to numerous fandoms will no longer be able to have access to fandoms anymore.
As a fan artist, this truly impacts me. Not only do I lose a European audience, but this also destroys my freedom of creativity and my way of self-expression. Fan art has helped me improve my drawing style and in fact, allows me to show my love and support for a fandom. By contributing fan art, not only do I promote myself but I also show my honesty as an artist in the things I love. And I believe every other fan-artist feels the same way!
For those who want to help save fandoms and even help those living in Europe, one thing you can do to help and save fandoms is to spread the word! Let people know the bad things about Article 13 and tell people how Article 13 affects you. Let people know that a future without fandoms is unacceptable.
