Supernatural TV Series: For Supernatural Buffs or Simply for Supernatural Fans?
Abstract
Supernatural, created by Eric Kripke, is a popular series that airs on The CW network. The Wikipedia.org page for Supernatural [1] is full of folklore and legends. The contributors to the show's Wikipedia page use it to promote the TV series and provide supernatural believers and buffs more information about all things Supernatural.
Introduction
The plot of “Supernatural” is centered around two brothers, Sam and Dean Winchester, who are supernatural hunters. Together, they seek out evil supernatural entities and kill them to protect mankind. Over the years the series has increased in popularity and is currently in its 7th season. As a result, its wikipedia page has also grown tremendously over the years. When it began the page consisted of only a few sentences, briefly mentioning the actors and creator of the series. Currently, the page is quite substantive relative to its modest beginnings and includes a multitude of information regarding the actors, creator, awards, and even the folklore and legends of the series. The current Supernatural page has a large amount of information about the series. To start the page gives the readers and rather long description about the series where the show is shot, who are the actors, the creator, date of debut and it within the intro in goes into detail about all of these different things I just listed.There are nine different categories in the contents of the page these include: Production, synopses, recurring elements, other media, impact, notes, references and external links. Within each of these sections there is in depth information regarding these topics. The earliest pages has hardly any information, the current page has a significantly larger amount of information in comparison.
Supernatural Wiki Page
The Supernatural TV series has created a large fan base in the US throughout the seasons. The question I want to explore is if the show gained its popularity for the series alone or is it the public's interest in the supernatural that draws audiences to this show and Wiki page.The Wiki page of the Supernatural TV series contains a large amount of information about the show and supernatural folklore. In the article it provides explanations for the show about the supernatural beings. The article also provides links so the reader can learn more about the topic in depth. The supernatural folklore that is discussed in the article contains: Mythology of arc angels Michael and Gabriel, Fallen Angel: The Devil Lucifer, Vampires, The Horse Men, Purgatory, Pagan God and Goddess, Hindu Goddess Kali, The Seven Deadly Sins, Ghosts and Witch craft. In the wiki page it becomes evident that the writers of the article are educated and interested in the supernatural. This becomes evident because in the article the writers display knowledge by the in depth explanations, supplied by links, about the supernatural beings and how it links to the show. For example in the TV series there is a recurring element of the 66 seals, made by Lucifer, that have to be broken to start the apocalypse on earth. In this section of the article the writers explain what the 66 seals do and who it was created by and there are more links that the readers click on read more about this topic. The writers in this wiki talk about the supernatural beings that are in the series and elaborate on the the subject and provide links to show that the information they are writing about is accurate.
Functions
This page is information rich and it apparent that the show is popular by the amount of text and in depth descriptions of the show. The manifest purpose of this site is to provide information and explanations about the show to fans and possible viewers of the show. This is evident by the introduction and the information about what channel it is aired on and what time it comes on each week. The latent function of this site could be for supernatural buffs to share their knowledge in this article and perhaps try to help the public understand the supernatural belief realm. In one of my previous studies, I looked at blogs about the supernatural (not the TV show). The rhetorical purpose of those blogs was to shares firsthand account stories about their experiences and help show a sense of Community Building. The bloggers wanted others to understand the supernatural and make the readers feel like they are not alone in the belief of the supernatural. With the supernatural wiki article I feel as though the writers are trying to bring together a community, persuade them to watch the show so they can learn more about the supernatural and embrace their beliefs.
Purpose and Reasoning
I believe that the purpose of this wiki is to also show the credibility of the TV show. Eric Kripke, the creator of the series based the episodes off a real folklore legends and myths. So intern the writers provide evidence of truth through links to show the readers that the legends depicted in the episodes are true to american folklore. That being said the writers are using the links and claims rhetorically to show the truth in folklore to the readers. For some people reading and editing the supernatural wiki page might be an issue of community building for the supernatural believers, but for some it might be just and issue of educating people about the show in general. Some writer’s purpose perhaps is to put the facts about the show on the site. In this case this person may not be a supernatural believer but enjoys the shows and finds it entertaining.
Conclusion
The Supernatural wiki writers show a vast knowledge of the TV series and the supernatural. To answer the question — "Is the Supernatural wiki page for supernatural buffs or simply for Supernatural TV series fans?", I would have to say it serves for both parties. Both fans and supernatural buffs can benefit from this wiki article. The supernatural buffs can share their knowledge and educate others about myths, legends and supernatural beings. Also the supernatural buffs can build the supernatural believers community by creating new believers based on the information supplied in the article. The wiki page benefits the fans of the show as well because the article supplies the fans with in depth information about every aspect of the show, actors, directors, awards etc and shows the fans that the legends and myths in the show come from real folklore tradition. All of these aspects can educate people who don't watch the show, and by doing so this can lead them to start watching the show. Therefore the wiki page helps bring in new viewers as well as educating current viewers about the TV series. This wiki page is unique in a way because it has different functions for different people. I think the set up and content of the Supernatural TV series wiki is successful and serves its purpose for fans and supernatural buffs.