Excerpt from my paper as Harry Potter as a millennial representation…
While Harry Potter represents characteristics of the millennial generation within the books and on screen, the most profound expression of the Harry Potter millennial emerges when youth use technology to foster community, and to advocate for political and social change. After proceeding through a thematic analysis of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, the 5th segment of the series, themes of teamwork, technology and activism emerged. Harry and friends teamed up to form “Dumbledore’s Army”, a group of teenagers empowered by education to fight against the suppressing forces both at school and within society. They began a rebellion, and questioned authority figures, and media sources in their lives that seemed to issue strict value systems and a limited way of thinking. In finding these faults, members of Dumbledore’s Army formed their own political views and united together to induce much needed change when others did not rise to the occasion. Dumbledore’s Army harnessed the technology available to them within the Room of Requirement, a place where they felt they could experiment and express their identities as young wizards. A resonating sense of positive possibility emerged as they were empowered by education and united by action.
Yet, the morality instilled within Harry Potter’s world did not remain confined to pages of the books, and instead pervaded into the real world that young millennials live in. The themes were out in the open for Harry Potter fans to interact with however they wished. Would they accept the rebellious nature, the teamwork and the politically active sentiment their favorite characters displayed? Absolutely. Paratexts have become the driving force of the Harry Potter phenomenon. Through YouTube fan vids we see a close interaction with the films, and we see fans explore morality. They make meaning in the form of the “authored” videos of their Harry Potter experience, and share it with a public online community such as YouTube. The authors express an innate millennial knowledge of technology, and encourage viewers to comment and respond to the video in an effort to build a shared experience and a shared authorship. Similarly, Mugglenet.com offers an online community constructed specifically to provide Harry Potter fans with a space for communication. Their “Chamber of Secrets” forums provide a kind of “ Room of Requirement” for fans to pose theories, and express themselves within the Harry Potter canon, but not feel restricted to it. It is within forums such as these where a sense of unity is fostered in a shared experience. Fans respond to comments, and build off threads such as “What did you like about the Order of the Phoenix?” But there is still a more active mode of participation, for within Harry Potter online communities such as The Harry Potter Alliance real world issues are explored, challenged and presented in a way that others can interact and make meaning as a group. Their Dumbledore’s Army philosophy is hands on activism. These fans unite in their online participation on social networking sites such as Twitter or Facebook, and then use these resources to reach out and raise awareness. They use technology as their tool of activism.
While some still argue that Harry Potter is merely a children’s book, a fantasy or a means of escapism, the Harry Potter fandom will probably disagree. For it is not just the magic that has grounded a community, it is the ability to inspire hope, and promote social change. It is the simple fact that for some, they have finally felt like they belonged to a group. Though it is a group that has boundaries, and for many of them it must somehow remain close to the canon, and PG-13. Opinions in these communities may not be diverse, and in turn limit the group’s potential. But that doesn’t mean that conversation won’t continue to happen. Most recently the questions, “Will the phenomenon of Harry Potter ever dissipate?” and, “will the magic ever die?” have been posed in light of the film adaptation finale in the summer of 2011. My answer: not with this generation, and not as long as these online communities, and the paratexts continue to exist. Because the morality issues ingrained in Harry Potter have been ingested by the millennials: a generation committed to a positive future and fully equipped with technology. Harry Potter has become a part of our culture, whether we directly participate with it or not, the values of Harry Potter thus will continue to circulate. Just as a wand can conjure up just about anything, so can a millennial with technology and teamwork.