Zines

Zines can be defined as “A noncommercial often homemade or online publication usually devoted to specializing and often unconventional subject matter” (Merriam Webster). Zines first started off in the 1930s and were focused on the genre of science fiction. During this time they called them the term fanzine which was was recognized as fan magazine then was then shorted to be called zines. They were self-published and small and they wanted to voice their opinions in a form that wasn’t mainstream media. Zines were often printed in small numbers and they were often underground and were made to pertain to a specific audience. By the 1950s and 60s, there was a rise in the use of zines. By the 1980s saw an even larger increase in usage during the punk music scene. The punk zines were more than just magazines they were a source of aesthetics and were a source that represented the culture that they were pertaining to. An example of these zines during this time would be “Riot Girl” which focused on the ideas of feminism and sex and chaos. Zines gave a voice to people of different backgrounds from minorities, LGBT and woman. They wanted to have a method and a way that people could have their voices heard. Zines have a large variety of genres and themes that focus in on different topics. Now with the growing use of technology and the use of internet the idea of a zine is making them more diverse than ever before. The use of the internet has helped bring young artist together to collaborate and communicate with one another. Today’s zines can be seen in publications like Home Zine. This concept was created by an artist to explore the concept of feeling at home. Zines and the culture behind aren’t dead it’s becoming a revamped form of media.

The usage of zines never left today’s media they are still underground and still not as popular as a regular magazine. Zines aren’t made to focus on one particular topic they can be made to talk about anything. They were made and still made as a way of self-expression to persuade and get ones views out there in a way that was graphically pleasing. With the use of zines in modern times they now seem to be more digital than physical. In today’s modern time with the internet not only are zines being found in ways in different media platforms they are much more simpler and can be viewed in a way most people don’t normally do. Creating zines have found new light in technology standards. They reached a global audience allowing a larger audience to see them.

Zines have seen an ever-expanding form of media that created a way for an artist to express themselves in a way the mainstream media didn’t allow themselves to be expressed. Zines weren’t meant for one group, in particular, they were a diverse art form that given the right tools to express them on a much larger spectrum. With the initial zines were mainly focused on the genre. By the 1980s around the same time as the punk rock scene, one major zine that was easily distinguishable was the zine of “Riot Girl”. This was so important during the time because it focused on the ideas of life during the time and gave a voice to women and the feminist cause behind it. That focused on the idea woman do have a voice too and the chaos behind a woman being misrepresented was very prominent during that time. Zines also gave a voice to other groups like the LGBT community and minorities to have their voices heard. Not much information on zines can be found since they were such an unground source of media that they weren’t really common known. But with the use of the internet made the zines a thing that we haven’t forgotten about. The use of the internet made it easier to for an artist to collaborate and create zines. These zines can be used to be found across multiple platforms and social media. More zines can be found digitally rather than physically and often seen to be more of a way to show their artistic side of the fan magazine.

Work Cited

“The Resurgence of Zine Culture and Why It’s So Important.” Study Breaks, 17 May 2017, studybreaks.com/culture/the-resurgence-of-zine-culture-and-why-its-so-important/.

Elizabeth, Marcia. “To Zine or Not to Zine? – The Cultural Significance of Self-Publishing.” Bubblegum Club, Bubblegum Club, 7 Nov. 2017, bubblegumclub.co.za/art-and-culture/zine-not-zine-cultural-significance-self-publishing/.

Wright, Fred. “ The History and Characteristics of Zines.” Zines, E-Zines: The History and Characteristics of Zines, Part I, www.zinebook.com/resource/wright1.html.