English

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Etymology

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From media +‎ fan.

Pronunciation

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Noun

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mediafan (plural mediafans or mediafen)

  1. (fandom slang, sometimes derogatory) A science fiction fan primarily interested in film and/or television.
    • 1998 June 9, Grant Watson, “Re: Godzilla - What a Turkey”, in aus.sf[1] (Usenet), message-ID <357d206b.15155455@news.iinet.net.au>:
      Your post is looking suspiciously like one of those litfan vs mediafan debates that are so incredibly stupid and pathetic and do nothing more than irritate people.
    • 2000 August 24, Matt G. Leger, “Re: TV science fiction [was Re: Beware of Slanted Fedora Cons!]”, in rec.arts.sf.fandom[2] (Usenet), message-ID <B5CA7EDE.A18D%mattleger@SPAMSUX.earthlink.net>:
      And I do know the difference between actors and the characters they play, unlike the usual mediafan stereotype (see GALAXY QUEST among many others).
    • 2006 April 5, Lloyd Penney, “ChatBack”, in Vegas Fandom Weekly[3], volume 2, number 17 (whole number #71), page 20:
      I've never been starstruck by some of the actors I've met over the years, unlike so many local mediafen who fawn and grovel.
    • 2014 January, Neil Williams, “Letters of Comment”, in Space Cadet[4], volume 12, number 1 (whole number #25), page 7:
      Point is we weren't a pack of "mediafen barbarians", we were real, live, young litfans (and hardly any of us read any fantasy, were SF fans); but we were from the burbs and we were unfannish.

Usage notes

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Where a person is specified as a mediafan it is often in opposition to being a litfan (fan of written science fiction) within science fiction fandom.