the theory of fandoms

Warning: small discussion of self harm and mental health

As media practitioners and content creators, we are arguably nothing without our audience. More so with fans, they are the catalysts that bring attention to our creations and encourage us to push ourselves to create more interesting and engaging content. Though, there have been evidence of the ugly side of fans and debate about when we have to draw the line for when people can use ‘fandom’ as an excuse to cross boundaries.

I remember quite a while ago, when Justin Bieber was just passing his pubescent years and it was leaked that he was taking illegal substances, a small group of fans took the extreme side of reaction and started the trending hashtag: #cutforbieber. From what began as a hoax to a good amount of teens actually self harming, I was baffled at the power of the media’s influence on these loyal, heartbroken fans. I understand the discussion of people’s concerns of the power media has over audiences, but much like the many years of debate about video games and their violent influence on teenagers, it’s more than just the ‘bullet/hypodermic needle’ theory of “media controls audiences”. According to Joseph Klapper’s Reinforcement theory, many factors such as religion, parents, school environments, can contribute to an individual’s actions and pre-existing beliefs and behaviour. The Media is seen as only an aspect that can ‘reinforce’ their pre-existing behaviour. In addition, the Uses and Gratification theory also suggest how active audiences use the media as gratification and purpose for their particular actions and behaviour. Hence, in the eyes of the Bieber fans self-harming, it is not justified to assume that the media is 100% at fault for their actions; there may have already been a pre-existing psychological behaviour that may have been triggered by the media’s news. In no means to throw these fans under the bus, I do believe I share the concern of many others about the extent fandoms can fuel an audience’s obsession over films, tv shows, artists, etc. For content creators, they are treading on thin ice in hopes to keep their fandoms happy and content and it is a situation where one small mistake can turn these fans against them. In scenarios like this, in my experience, the fans almost ripple off each other with their expressions of anger and hate to the point it seems almost unrealistic just how furious they are over something that seems so minute. When scenarios like this do happen, many are quick to point the finger at the content creators, and although they can be the trigger, I think it is also important to consider that the fans are capable of acting on their own and their uproars could have been contributed by other factors in their life.