Why do we self-identify as fans?
There really isn’t one solid answer to this question. If you were to ask someone why they’re a fan of a certain franchise or person they’ll probably end up giving you multiple responses. Anything from finding a sense of belonging in a larger group, a form of escapism or even just being able to brand yourself as a supporter.
There isn’t anything wrong with any of these answers. They’re all valid in their own ways. Being able to find joy and gratification in something is great, and it’s even better if you’re able to express yourself through it. This seems to be the public’s general opinion on fan culture.
Fan culture, also known as fandom, has become more widely accepted in recent years. Stuff that was once seen as nerdy and niche is now cool and popular. You can walk around campus right now and see dozens of people wearing graphic tees plastered with comic and anime characters. We even have whole conversations created just to celebrate our beloved franchises.
The idea of fandom extends beyond just what is considered nerdy. We can find some of the most devoted fans within the realm of sports. It doesn’t matter the sport. If there’s a team, there will be fans. Football fans are the loudest and proudest of them all. Fans from all around the country adore their teams’ colors and fill stadiums, homes and bars every Sunday to watch their favorite team play. It’s not uncommon to have a room in your house dedicated to a football team, filled with countless pieces of memorabilia.
As popular as sports are, I wouldn’t even say it’s the media with the biggest fan base. No, that title goes to music. I know just saying “music” is a little too general, but I believe it works. Everything from specific artists, albums and even genres, has diehard fans. While it’s possible to find people who don’t practically care about any franchises or sport teams, you’ll find it much more challenging to find someone who doesn’t have a preference when it comes to music.
I generally like to divide fandom into the three categories I just listed: entertainment, sports, and music. It’s not limited to those three classifications; you can be a fan of pretty much anything. However, those three tend to be the most common.
With all that being said, fan culture isn’t as innocent and fun as it seems. The deeper and more involved you get into a fan base the more likely you are to find some aggression. There are many forms of hatred you’ll eventually end up encountering.
I would say gatekeeping is the most common type of aggression. The act of gatekeeping honestly confuses me a little bit. Pushing people away from something you enjoy just because they don’t “understand” it the same way you do. This seems to mainly happen with fans of music artists. I’ll be using Taylor Swift fans as an example. From what I’ve witnessed, there seems to be some sort of what I can only describe as a civil war going on among them.
The conflict first started when tickets for the “Eras Tour” went on sale. This was a dream come true for many fans, old and new. This was a problem. This sparked a debate on who was worthy of seeing Taylor. Being the artist’s biggest concert ever, it came as no surprise that tickets for the show quickly sold out. This made a lot of older fans that were excited to see Taylor perform her classic songs live again angry, especially when they discovered who purchased the tickets: newer fans who didn’t “get” Taylor the same way as they did.
A divide formed among Taylor’s fan bases. Instead of supporting the artist as a collective, it became more about just how much and how long they have supported her for. The idea that you must show a certain level of support is common in most fandoms.
There isn’t an exact way to measure this through, so at what point do you become a true fan? Is it based on how much money you spent or is it more of a time thing? What exactly is a true fan?
Some may argue that being a true fan of something means having it as the only source of enjoyment you consume. Only fake fans would dare to enjoy something else. This way of thinking has caused many ultimatums among fans of franchises. Marvel or DC? Sonic or Mario? Pokemon or Digimon? The list goes on.
Being able to say your favorite franchise is the best of its kind is a good feeling. You’re on the right side of history, supporting what you believe to be the objectively best option. In reality, you’re just missing out. This is something I feel we all must have participated in at one point or another. I sure know I have. I would often partake in the infamous Marvel vs. DC debate. I grew up on Marvel media, so I naturally took the side of the “House of Ideas.” I made all the classic arguments. “DC is so dark and edgy” and “Marvel has better movies” were my go-to.
That all changed one day when I decided to actually sit down and read a DC comic. It didn’t take me long to realize that I made a mistake. I spent years missing out on great stories and characters for the sake of being able to say that what I liked was better than something else. Showing your undying gratitude to your fandom is common among hard core fans, and sports fans illustrate this perfectly.
Once again, football fans serve as the underlining example. Football fans are known for their enthusiasm. They always show up and give their team their all. It’s almost as if they are a member of the team themselves, which some fans genuinely believe. If you’ve ever talked to someone about football, you probably noticed that the word “we” is thrown around a lot. For example, if you asked about how the season is going, they’ll possibly respond with, “We’re doing pretty good.”
This may seem like something minor but it’s part of a bigger picture. Many fans act like they’re a physical member of their team, getting as mad as the players do when they lose. It’s perfectly normal to be passionate about something you like but there is a certain level you should probably keep things at. It’s not weird to see fights break out during sporting events. Rival fans could do something as simple as looking at each other in a funny way and all hell breaks loose. There’s a sort of mentality based around defending your fandom from those who dare go against it.
There’s a sort of mindset that comes with being a fan, a mindset I can only describe as knightly. You stand vigorously, ready to defend your source of enjoyment from anyone who would dare harm it, all while looking for an opportunity to get in close and attack any enemies.
I always believed that parasocial relationships were to blame for this ideology. People grow attached to their fandom, extremely attached. They see it as something bigger than themselves and find a sense of comfort in it. It’s nearly impossible to avoid deeply devoted fans once you get into something. No matter what it is.
Fandom will never truly be a peaceful place, but even all that I believe there is still plenty of good to be found in it. While it’s not perfect, it is still a fantastic way to celebrate something you love, something you feel proud being a fan of.