Why Fandoms Aren’t As Scary As Your Mum Thinks They Are

Fandoms are fantastic! I'm in hundreds and they're great. But not everyone thinks so. A lot of negativity towards fandoms is due to people thinking the whole ‘spending time talking to strangers on the Internet’ thing is a weird and dangerous way to spend one's time. I mean, don't get me wrong, it can be. You hear countless stories of cyber bullying, paedophiles and trolls. But the Internet is not always the dark, "doom and gloom" place your parents think it is.

I spoke to 3 different people from different fandoms to ask why their fandoms are so important to them and why fandoms can actually be a good thing.

Person A: 19, UK, Female

Person B: 18, Colombia, Male

Person C: 18, UK, Female

How many fandoms are you a part of?

A: About 8+ but there’s too many to count

B: I'm in three fandoms; Jonas Brothers, Taylor Swift and Union J

C: About 10 or so from the top of my head?

Do you consider your fandoms to be part of your friends/family circle?

A: I do see them as part of my family and friends. Only some of them, not the whole of the fandom. But some of the people I individually talk to, yeah I do.

B: I do. I think my fandoms are part of my life because I hear about them every day, like my family or friends. I hear about my faves every day through Facebook or Twitter. They are definitely part of my social circle.

C: Yeah definitely a part of my friends circle. I keep in contact with many of them.

Does it give you a sense of community?

A: It does give me a sense of community because sometimes you feel a bit lost and you don’t know where you belong but you know these people have the same interests as you and you all agree on one thing and you all love one thing so you know you have someone to talk to about something that you like.

B: Yes, it feels like everyone is a community in a fandom because if one person needs something and someone is free to do it, that person will help you.

C: Being a part of fandoms and being friends with those in mutual fandoms makes me feel as part of a group, if that makes sense? Like a group where everyone’s got the same interests and stuff.

Does it allow you to escape from reality?

A: It does allow me to escape reality in the sense that you can talk to these people about celebrities, bands, and things like that. Or even like an object, like a food or something like that.

B: Just the fact that listening to your favourite artist can help you to transport yourself to a different place and feel infinite. I think music has a great power but if the music comes from your favourite band it means so much.

C: It does sort of act as an escape because most times the fandoms we're in, we really like those people and most times they make us (weirdly) happy, so yeah.

Do fandoms allow you to make new friends with the same interests?

A: Yes, most definitely it allows you to make friends that have the same interests as you. For example, before I had twitter, I had my cousin to talk to about boybands and stuff that I liked but other than that, nobody because at school they didn’t really like the same music that I liked. They kinda thought I was a bit weird as well, like I had like this obsession over bands but knowing that there are people out there in the world that have the same interests as you doesn’t make you feel quite so weird and so alone.

B: Yes, thanks to the Jonas Brothers I've been in a whatsapp group for about 2 years with 5 girls that are really funny and lovely. Most importantly, thanks to Union J, I met my best friend Kayya, who I really love and I think that’s the best thing about being in the Union J fandom.

C: Yes! Especially at concerts haha. I’m actually at one now and I’ve made 2 friends already. But on social media for sure. It’s easier to stay in contact with the friends you make via the fandoms you're in because of social media.

Do fandoms allow you to discuss and share your love of these actors/musicians, etc.?

A: Fandoms do help you discuss things that you enjoy further, in the sense that you can share details about where, for example, your next band or favourite singer’s going to perform, if [your fandom friend] is going to see them they can take pictures, video messages for you, letters, things like that. So it does help you discuss them further.

B: Yes, they help me to express myself and share my love.

C: Definitely. Especially if you have a massive interest in the fandom and so do others in the same fandom.

Do you find it easier to talk to people in your fandom than people you know in real life?

A: For me personally, I do find it comfortable to talk to people if I need to in real life, but I know that it has helped other people that I’ve spoken to because they’ve spoken to me about it and they don’t feel comfortable talking to their friends because they don’t want to feel judged and they think that they’re being silly by the way that they feel. Because they’re not talking to you face to face it’s over a computer or over a phone, they feel like they can’t be judged because you can’t see them so it gives them a sense of security.

B: Only for some things and in some occasions. It’s easier talk to people in fandoms about music and passions, etc. But it’s easier to talk about your life and problems with people around you.

C: Yeah, for sure. It's easier to talk with someone who's also in the fandom compared with someone who's not.

Do your real life friends and family understand your fandom life?

A: Well, not all of my family and friends understand it. My mum is quite understanding, like I could tell her “1D did this” or “JLS did this” and she quite likes the bands that I like so she in a sense likes to be kept updated. The rest of my family find it a bit boring and don’t really want to listen. As for my friends, they like very different types of music, bands, actors, so when I talk about them they’re like “oh not this again”. They don’t really get it, and they think I’m being a bit over obsessed by it because I do go on a little bit.

B: They don't, they think I'm obsessed with things that aren't important.

C: My parents definitely do NOT. They think I’m mental for being so interested in this stuff (e.g. TV shows, music), whereas my real life friends have some similar interests to me and we're in similar fandoms together but not all. But it’s easier to talk to those online because you end up finding more people who are just as passionate as you.

Are you only in fan mode online or does it affect your daily real world life?

A: I’m probably more fandom mode online than in real life because some of my real life friends and family don’t understand it and I don’t like to express it too much because people find it a bit weird because I’m 19 and they think it’s very ‘12 year old girlish’, like I shouldn’t be acting like that.

B: I'm in fandom mode all time haha. I love my idols in real life, online, in every place. They mean so much to me.

C: I'm always a fangirl but it makes me happy to be so interested and into something in all aspects of my life.

Are there any negative aspects of being in a fandom?

A: I would say the only negative aspect of being in a fandom is sometimes there can be some conflict. Sometimes within the same fandom there can be some conflict but there isn’t usually because you like the same thing. There can also be conflict between fandoms. I mean I’m a part of many fandoms and for example, I like 1D and I like Union J, but people in the UJ fandom don’t always like people in the 1D fandom and vice versa, so you feel like you have to take sides, which is quite hard.

B: Not for me, my idols just make me happy and transmit positive things to me.

C: The negative parts would be the judgment you receive from others for liking a musician or TV characters so much or (slightly dumb) when you don’t get to meet your faves despite really wanting to, especially if they’re so close to you or where you are. Another thing is when someone comes at you for your opinion, so like ‘Larry’ is a massive thing in the 1D fandom and people are either larries or antis and it creates a divide to be honest.

The twitter poll I did below also shows how significant fandoms are in a person's life:

So, fandoms – not as scary as you may think. It seems they actually bring positivity to people’s lives. Who’d have thought it?

Maybe share this with your nonfandom friends and family the next time they give you weird looks for obsessing over people you’ve never met, (including the odd fictional character!)

And if you're not in a fandom, go join one! I personally recommend the Teen Wolf fandom for all the feels and the One Direction fandom for the big drama.

Ciao for now!

#fandoms #onedirection #twitter #UnionJ #TeenWolf #TaylorSwift #JonasBrothers #Uni #university