Fandom: A Brief Summary

Yesterday, I had a friend over who was working on an essay for one of her college classes. Her assignment was to write a definition essay, and we were tossing around possible topics when a topic came up that made me say to myself, "Self, I want to write an essay on that." The topic? Fandom.

So, after spending a bit of time yesterday and then finishing it up this morning, this is what I came up with. Keep in mind that this is not a comprehensive definition, so if you read this and feel like I left something out, I probably did (and I still ran 170 words over the word limit...).

Fandom: A Brief Summary

Being part of a fandom is a defining factor in many people's lives, so exploring what this actually means gives insight into how a large portion of the world functions. The term 'fandom' can cover a wide variety of activities, but those activities are always centered around a particular cultural phenomenon - generally a television show, movie, book, band, or celebrity. To understand fandom, it is best to look first at the general behavior that defines members of a fandom, and then to look at specific activities that are play a large role in most fandoms. Also, to make the terminology more simple, I will be talking primarily about television show fandoms, but the same principles apply to most others as well.

There is a distinct difference between merely identifying as a fan of a particular show and calling yourself a part of the fandom. Being a fan of the show simply means that you watch it and enjoy it, while actively identifying as a member of the fandom generally encompasses much more. In general, a member of a fandom will invest large amounts of time and energy in the culture surrounding their particular show, and will become emotionally connected to the fictional events and characters. This can play out in many different ways, but always involves some sort of connection with others who also self-identify as members of the same fandom.

More specifically, social media sites play a large role in this connection for many people. Sites such as Tumblr and Pinterest allow these people to interact with others by sharing photos, videos, and gifs among the fandom. Tumblr and Twitter also serve as platforms where people can liveblog/live tweet episodes, allowing them to interact with other members of the fandom in real time, sharing reactions and 'feels' as they occur. These sites form a major part of the foundation of modern-day fandom, allowing members to interact around the globe with others who share the same interests.

A second piece of this interaction comes through forums and fansites which allow for more in-depth discussion of episodes after they have aired. Here, people can read reviews and meta-analysis by others and then respond with their own perspectives on the issues raised in the show's canon (things that have been explicitly stated on the aired show). The dicussions here can often become very deep, and may require extensive knowledge of past events on the show. These sites also provide a way for people to discuss theories regarding where the show could possibly go in the future.

Another large piece of fandom revolves around fan-created works, generally in the forms of fanfiction and fanart. While comment forums, and, to some extent, sites such as Tumblr, are generally aimed at allowing members of the fandom to interact regarding canonical events, fan works allow these people to take pieces of canon and then create their own worlds. For some, the fan works stay close to the original canonical events, either portraying these events as they happened on the show, or filling in the blanks left between scenes and episodes. For others, fan works provide an opportunity to create what that person wishes would happen on the show, whether it's a romance that never was in canon, or a completely alternate universe altogether. These works can be shared with the fandom as a whole using a variety of sites, and more popular works can often become a point of reference for a large portion of the fandom.

For many of the more popular fandoms, fandom interaction can also occur in person at conventions. Although many members of a fandom will never make it to a convention, for the highly devoted (and slightly more monied) members, this is an opportunity to engage with the fandom in a unique way. At a convention, people get the chance to meet other fans face to face, often finally meeting in person the people they've been interacting with for a long time online. Conventions also allow the fandom to interact with the people who create the show, giving people the opportunity to hear from the talent that makes the show they love.

So we can see that a fandom is a multifaceted community, allowing people to engage in social, intellectual, and creative expression based around a specific cultural phenomenon. As such, it can maintain its relevance even after the phenomenon has ended, because the community has already been formed and the social connections have already been put into place. For some, their fandoms will continue to be a large part of their life for the rest of their life, shaping them even long after the show or movie has ended.