Anderson, M. (2015, October 01). Teen Voices: Dating in the Digital Age. Retrieved September 25, 2017, from http://www.pewinternet.org/online-romance/

Lenhart, A. (2015, April 08). Teens, Social Media & Technology Overview 2015. Retrieved September 25, 2017, from http://www.pewinternet.org/2015/04/09/teens-social-media-technology-2015/

Lenhart, A. (2015, August 06). Teens, Technology and Friendships. Retrieved September 25, 2017, from http://www.pewinternet.org/2015/08/06/teens-technology-and-friendships/

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The owner of the store commented, 

“‘I don’t have customers who have been Harry Potterfied,” the Huddersfield shop owner said. “If I had someone come in wanting a wand just because they liked Harry Potter I would not sell them one, no matter how much they were offering.’

Carter says his wands are used for spells, for drawing protective circles and as good luck charms.

‘You wouldn’t believe how many real witches and wizards there are knocking about,’ he said. ‘You would be amazed.’

‘They know they can come here and reveal themselves without people thinking they’re mental,’ the added.” 

So in this case, the store owner is protecting his own customers (or fans) by discriminating against the Harry Potter fans. 

From the article:

“It’s not unusual; fandoms are, perhaps confusingly, just as obsessed with changing things to their liking as they are about the importance of canon. Harry Potter fans have been reimagining Rowling’s characters — especially the “Golden Trio” of Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger — for years, drawing, writing, and characterizing them as different races, ethnicities, religions, sexualities, and genders from those assigned to them (or, often, not assigned to them) in Rowling’s books and the subsequent eight films.” 

“Tom Felton, the actor behind Harry Potter’s nemesis Draco Malfoy, wanted to know more about Petrick’s obsession. He traveled to his Pittsburgh home to find out why Petrick connects with the Harry Potter universe. In Superfans! A Tom Felton Documentary, Petrick talks about the impact the books have had on his life and what happened when he met author J.K. Rowling.” 

“For those who may call it the end of civilization, or at least the demise of high culture, a new study published in the Journal of Applied Psychology may provide reason for pause. Researchers from several European universities found that reading Harry Potter may make young people more tolerant. In the study “The greatest magic of Harry Potter: Reducing prejudice,” psychologists led by Loris Vezzali at the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia say that reading “Harry Potter” improves attitudes toward stigmatized groups, such as immigrants, gays and refugees.”

An opportunity for collaboration, and even a new set of social behaviors: “The collaborative and interactive opportunities offered by new technologies emphasize the social contexts of literacy with an immediacy and power far different than in the era of the printed page. A blog provides an explicit interaction between writer and reader quite different than writing in a print journal, for example.” (Williams & Zenger, 2012, 6) 

Williams & Zenger. New Media Literacies and Participatory Popular Culture Across Borders. (2012). Culture and Literacy in a Networked World. doi:10.4324/9780203803745