The way I see it, there are different levels to ‘fanship’. Take a TV show for example, and you will find certain people who speak well of it. “Oh yes, I’ve seen it a couple times- quite good.” People who appreciate it to some extent. This is healthy and all very well.
And then you have those who take it slightly further. “Yes, I’m a big fan of the show, I watch it weekly!” This is what we commonly call ‘being a fan’. This too is healthy.
But venture a couple more levels down the road and I assure you, you will reach the obsessed. Crazed fans who think about it, live through it- breathe it. And of course there are inbetweens- not all passionate fans take it to the extreme, but it’s when these people cluster together that we find ourselves looking upon a powerful force; an indestructible army:
Fandoms.
Yes, yes- hold your gasps. Fandoms; groups of fangirls and guys who obsess over TV shows, books, films, YouTubers, actors and singers. They feed off each other and spread their love via the internet.
And it is hard to resist the urge of fandoms. You may not think of yourself as much of a hyperactive, dramatic teenage girl (apologies for the harsh stereotype) but the idea of a mass of people sharing your passion, feeding your obsession, supplying fanfic, fanart, blogs, tweets, videos all about this one subject mutually shared between you?
I don’t know- some people like that kind of thing.
And we all joke about fangirls and their fandoms, roll our eyes when a popular band is trending on Twitter, laugh at the “I can’t- I just CAN’T!” and “OMG *dies*” tweets of hyperventilating fans at the new episode of yet another TV show- but I think it’s time to get serious.
It. Is. Slowly. Taking. Over. The World.
It started with harmless and even ‘cute’ names for fans, like ‘Little Monsters’, “Whovians” and ‘Beliebers’.
And now ask yourself- which actor, band, singer or TV show out there doesn’t have a pun name for their mass of fans?
Well, I’m afraid to report, but being an obsessed fan is psychologically unhealthy. Yes. that’s right.
It’s not surprising- the hours we spend on the computer stalking, tweeting and reading about our ‘idols’ can be disruptive for the brain- but you’ve probably already guessed that. And now with the media and fandoms, we’re given a false sense of closeness to these actors, bands, and shows. Fandoms only encourage this, with other people prompting us on, sharing our thoughts. And don’t we just all love being surrounded by people freaking out about the same scene that you just freaked out about?
And if you’re thinking: “Whoa dude, I’m not mainstream, I don’t follow the crowd”, well then just you wait until your obsession goes viral. You’ll love it too.
But, whilst we’re on the topic of TV shows and what not, who watched the new episode of Sherlock last night?! OMG I could hardly breathe I’ve just been watching interviews and videos all day, I’ve even bought a frickin’ t-shirt and everything!!
Anyway, back to what I was saying before… fandoms- weird and scary stuff. Try to resist the urge- once you’re engulfed, it’s impossible to escape.
*Goes back to freaking out about Sherlock*
-The Cookie Element
Links: http://www.vulture.com/2012/10/is-being-a-fan-psychologically-unhealthy.html
The cookie element 