A Struggle To Pin Down, But Seen Everywhere

OVERVIEW:

Coming up with a single definition of the term fandom has been a struggle. Prior to the internet age, fandom was used classically to solely identify fans of a person or a sport. However, with the advent of modern technology, particular online forums, social networks, and of course the web, fandom has taken on a different definition that has been supported by historic trends. Fandoms have been described as “microcosms, communities, and domains” that surrounds comics, books, tv shows, video games, fiction genres etc. Within certain subdomains fandoms take on different contexts. For example, within the sphere of fanfiction, a fandom may refer to canon, the original work or text from where inspiration for fanfiction was drawn. What draws all fandoms together is the act of participating in “fannish” activity. Fannish activity consists of participation on message boards, livejournal communities, conventions, amateur magazines (fanzines), etc. Depending on the particular type of fandom, fans can pursue multiple avenues of fannish activity. Members of a fandom community do not necessarily have to actively participate in the community, but they must share a similar ‘obsession’ for the overarching work with other fans. Fans who consume media are participating in a type of fannish activity, as are those who are creating the media.

 

FANDOM ACTIVITIES:

So, what distinguishes, for example, a fandom of a famous group of individuals from a fandom of a popular novel? Both groups are definitely ardent supporters of their chosen individuals or group, and likely seek out other fans in the real world (ie. at conventions, sporting events, award ceremonies etc.). The primary differences between these groups lie in the use of online tools provided for and created by fandom members.

Fans of a particular individual (perhaps a sport hero), may indulge in posting reaction gif’s to reddit or tumblr, they may post messages regarding the individual’s most memorable quotes or actions, they may ardently admire the individual’s physical characteristics or clothing style on social networks. However, most fandoms do not create individual content surrounding an individual. Perhaps if the individual was a famous pop-star, they might create memetic videos such as parodies or spinoffs of an existing music video. However, for the most part fandoms in this scenario are limited by content that plays off real-world interactions or their ability to modify existing media.

However fans of a specific novel or TV series rely more upon their ingenuity and imagination to create new content. These fans alter the foundation of existing content. For example, a fan may draw a cartoon of two characters behaving in a certain manner that is relatively contradictory to canon. Perhaps this is because no libel or slander charges could be considered for ‘playing’ with fictional content whereas modifying events of a celebrity’s life could be cause for some judicial action. In a fandom that spans fictional realms users typically create literary content loosely based off the plot of the original work. They draw art relating to canon, make music, create and attend conventions etc.

SCOPE OF FANDOMS:

An interesting question to ask is, can fandoms be considered the face of modern communication?

When looking at the usage of social network and other popular media sharing sites, a predominant activity consists of engaging with fandoms. Tumblr, in particular, has become “fandom central” where entire Tumblrs are devoted to the support of a particular fandom. Even the structure of Facebook supports this shift towards fandoms, with the constant sharing of pictures and memes posted on Facebook pages, and the hundreds of thousands of ‘likes’ appearing on pages for popular individuals or books for example. Facebook, encourages the participation of fandom activity with the use of two sidebars. One sidebar constantly suggests pages to like or groups to join which are either popular or that your other friends have joined recently/in the past. This technique is interesting because through hosting locations for fans to engage, Facebook is adding a ‘safer’ social component to typical fandom interaction. On Facebook, an individual can learn about their friends are interact with them online concerning a particular fandom. Of course, this model is not necessarily limited to fandoms, but also companies for example, looking to get the word out about a particular product. However, the trend of Facebook post comments has shifted slightly away from a sole focus on divulging personal details to sharing memes, picture content, or other insights relating to fandoms. Facebook’s Top 20 pages (Nov 1, 2012) appears at first glance to be an eclectic mix of artistis, novels, companies, etc. However when looking at the Top 20 Facebook pages in the context of fandoms, only YouTube, Coca-cola, and Texas Hold ‘Em Poker are not fandoms.

Top 20 Facebook Pages

When engaging with people, individuals typically look for certain commonalities. With sites dedicated to, or supporting, the rise of fandoms, individuals find it easier to converse with others sharing similar interests. Because this online friendship is based of common ground, it is easier for this friendship to translate into the physical world. The presence of social fandoms encourage users, by use of implicit incentives, to generate their own fandom-related content. This, in turn, appears to have a positive correlation with sparking creativity and ingenuity – especially among younger fans. Harry Potter is considered responsible for brining a niche genre, Fanfiction, to main stream audiences, it has also encouraged individuals to get active through the creation of ‘Muggle’ Quidditch, and the list continues. If all of these are positive attributes of an extremely popular fandom’s success, are there any significant negative repercussions of fandoms? There is the odd case, where an individual may become obsessed with a fandom to a certain extent that they become a hazard to society. However, these are far and few between in the grand scheme of a fandom’s scope. Perhaps issues with identity are a problem with fandoms’ primarily online communities. However, cyber-security is not the sole problem of fandoms, but is a ever-pressing concern in a world where the internet and the web are becoming a necessity. But, do online fandoms compromise an individual’s identity? Individuals participating in a fandom may become more susceptible to mob mentality and more likely therefore to indulge in crazy or obsessive behavior. As users age, their maturity and participation in certain fandoms may shift as well and they may outgrew certain irresponsible behaviors. Yet, overall, online interactions between fan members augment reality and make for a more cohesive and comprehensive experience regarding a particular work.

 

Justin Beiber and One Direction

The music industry has perpetuated some of the largest fandoms in the world and the Internet community, especially among younger audiences. The popularity of various bands/musicians has skyrocketed due to media sharing sites and social networks on the Internet. One of the first musicians to fall under the classification of a social media success is Justin Beiber.

Justin Beiber’s rise to fame and sustained popularity was nearly entirely a byproduct of effective social media use. Beiber’s videos on youtube eventually garnered a number of views and amassed a fairly substantial collection of videos online. His popularity continued to climb steadily (and almost exponentially) on youtube as more and more people began to discover, watch, favorite and subscribe to his video channel. He was initially ‘discovered’ on youtube by thousands of fans before his popularity reached individuals in the music industry. Beiber’s rise to popularity shows, to a certain extent, the power of consumers/fans. Although Beiber’s videos on Youtube were a success, he was essentially ‘unknown to the professional music industry.’  Once he signed a deal with a music label, his popularity continued to grow, in large part due to his existing fan base.

The fandom which previously online existed online, now had an opportunity to enter the physical world. Beiber’s introduction into the professional music industry, provided fans with the opportunity to meet together for the purpose of attending a concert, or show. Yet, his initial online popularity spawned not only physical excitement – ie. teenage girls screaming as he walked by – but also generated more members being part of the online fandom community. It has been argued that Justain Beiber is more influential in social media than United States President Barack Obama or the Dalai Lama. Beiber’s continued interested in his online community has increased his online following which has reached over 30,000,000 followers on Twitter, and over 3,000,000,000 views on youtube. He continued to generate interest in his online persona by maintaining an online relationship with his fandom. He continues to upload videos to his youtube channel – mindful and grateful for his initial supporters. He has also become a model for handling media controversy through social networks, and most importantly continually maintains and open two-way communication channel with the public. This interest in fans and enemies alike has sustained Beiber’s popularity even as his average audience ages.

Fandoms revolving around Beiber express themselves both online and in the physical world. Numerous tumblrs have been spawned that either support or condemn the young musician, facebook pages have been dedicated to him, blogs written about him…and the list continues. Yet, as Justin Beiber’s mainstream popularity wanes his fandoms remain, bolstered by Beiber’s online interactions with the community.

Another recent phenomenon is the rise of British boy-band One Direction. Although they haven’t reached such a mass Twitter or YouTube following, they followed a similar path of success as Justin Beiber. One Direction was relatively unknown, apart from their appearance on Xfactor, in the professional music industry – yet they had thousands of followers. Their ‘agent’ Simon Cowell insisted that their online popularity would soon result in their official introduction to American audiences at the discretion of music agencies. Their widespread popularity reached critical target audiences before the American music industry asked to bring them to the states. Increasingly musicians and other artists are relying upon initial online popularity to launch their careers.

Yet, their fandoms do not stop there. Especially among teenage and young adult females, One Direction has been a source of much discussion and debate. In particularly nearly one-third of tumblr users have at one point either mentioned One Direction or have created pages devoted to them. Twitter, in particular (like Justin Beiber) provides members of the and with a way to communicate with their audience. Each members has approximately 7,000,000 followers each, which while it isn’t the massive following of Justin Beiber, it is still a sizeable community to foster online participation. Whilst these fandoms did not arise overnight, their popularity can largely be attributed to the almost cult-like following of fans.

Materials have been marketed with One Direction or Justin Beiber trademarks that sell for a significantly marked-up price that a similar item without their brand. Yet, these items continue to sell on the market. Their fandoms have brought an online presence largely into the physical world, as any other musician who arose through traditional routes.