From Enthusiasts to Extremists: The Changing Face of ‘Fan’ Culture
In today’s digital world, being an avid fan is easier than ever. With the rise of social media platforms and online communities, it has become much easier to connect with others who share that special feeling known as “fandom”. Fan culture has evolved remarkably over the last few decades. From traditional sports fandom to video game fandom, this phenomenon can be found in almost every type of niche community out there.
Fanatics have become a growing presence in our society, and with that presence comes a rise in extremism. Today we will examine how fanatics have evolved over time, as well as give several examples of how fanatics operate in real-life scenarios today.
What is Fanaticism?
Fanaticism is defined as “the condition of being excessively enthusiastic or excessively zealous about a particular activity”. With the rise of social media, it is no wonder that fanaticism has become such an important phenomenon in our society. Social media has provided an outlet for fanatics to congregate and join with like-minded individuals in the pursuit of one common interest. With the heavy use of hashtags and emojis, it has become easier than ever to express one’s fandom passion.
Furthermore, this obsession with a specific subject has led to the proliferation of “collective fandoms”. In today’s society, fandoms have become a way for people to connect with others who share their passion for a specific subject. With the advent of online communities such as Reddit, Tumblr, and 4chan, it has become easy for people to find others who share their interest in a specific topic.
Collective fandoms have become increasingly popular in recent years. With the rise of social media and online communities, it has become easier than ever to connect with others who share your passion for a specific subject. Fandoms have become such a prominent part of modern culture that many television shows and movies are now created with the fandom in mind.
History of Fanaticism
Like in any other field of human activity, the history of fanaticism can be traced back to ancient times. However, fanaticism as we know it today did not exist until the industrial era.
Before the industrial era, enthusiasm and zeal were often associated with religion. However, this did not mean that people did not engage in intense enthusiasm for other fields of human activity. For example, people have always been extremely enthusiastic about sports.
This enthusiasm has always been present even in the most remote of cultures. Such was the case for the American Indians, who would watch their favorite sports often with a group of people.
Types of Fanatics
- The Fanatic Zealot: When one becomes a fan of a particular team, it can often lead them to advocate for the team, often at the cost of other teams. For example, when a fan becomes a zealot for a specific team, it can often lead them to become a shill, thereby advocating for the team at the cost of other teams.
- The Shill Fanatic: The fanaticism of a shill fanatic is often expressed through the shill tag on social media platforms. A shill fanatic is usually present in all major sports fandoms, and is often a person who has no real interest in the sport itself but is simply an avid fan of the team. A shill fanatic will often express their interest in the team through non-constructive comments, such as trolling another team’s fans with derogatory comments or posting memes that have nothing to do with the sport itself. Shill fanatics often use the shill tag to mask the fact that they are not really interested in the sport.
- The Troll Fanatic: A troll fanatic is usually a person who expresses their fanaticism for a particular subject through trolling. A troll fanatic is usually present in all major online communities that host social media platforms, such as Reddit, 4chan, Tumblr, and Facebook. A troll fanatic will seek out other users who express an interest in a particular topic, and then troll them by posting derogatory comments about the topic.
- The Doxer Fanatic: A doxer fanatic is usually present in online communities that host discussion threads on a specific topic. A doxer fanatic will often actively seek out threads that discuss that same topic, and then post derogatory comments about the topic in order to sabotage the discussion.
Conclusion
In today’s world, it is easy to find others who share your passion for a specific topic. Furthermore, social media has made it easier than ever to connect with others who share your passion for that same topic. With the advent of online communities and group dynamics, it has become much easier to find like-minded individuals. Collective fandoms have become increasingly popular over the last few years, and with that popularity has come the rise of collective groupthink. This groupthink can be dangerous, as it can lead to poor decisions that harm the organization.