Motivation and emotion/Book/2024/Fandom motivation

Fandom motivation:
What motivates fandom?

Multimedia presentation (3 min)

Overview

Figure 1'.A lonely teenager feeling disconnected from others. Amber is a teen living in a small town, she found it difficult to make friends and wasn’t drawn to the “typical” social activities; she was more interested in sci-fi and historical genres (see Figure 1). This disconnection from those around her has made her feel without a sense of belonging, unlike the rest of her year group. One evening, while scrolling TikTok, she saw that a nearby city was hosting a sci-fi convention with a panel about her favourite fandom. Seeing this post gives Amber a sense of excitement, curiosity and hope that she hasn’t felt in years. Let’s explore how and why Amber feels motivated to join the fandom.

Fandoms are groups of fans who ardently and loyally admire a particular interest. These fandoms can be for many different things such as music, sports, TV shows/movies, politicians, and brands. They can also inspire many different creations like fanart, fanfiction skits and cosplay. The word ‘fandom’ has a Latin root meaning insanely but divinely inspired. One of the first records of fandom was ‘Sherlock Holmes’ in 1893 following that was the World Science Fiction Convention which started in 1939. There are several different motivations for joining a fandom generally, including group identification, escapism and a sense of belonging. Two different groups of fandoms were used, for example, sports and music. For sports fandoms more specifically, it is a sense of community and a national connection to a player or team. For music fandoms specifically, fans get a sense of mental comfort as well as self-empowerment. It’s difficult to discuss fandom and motivation without mentioning social media's role as it can influence motivation. As social media has made fandom more accessible than ever which changes how people interact with the fandom and other fans.

Focus questions: What are the motivations behind joining different fandoms? How are the motivations different across fandoms?

What is a fandom?

Figure 2 Cosplay contest at Comic Con Brussels 2016

Fans are people who ardently and loyally admire a particular interest, be an athletic team, a genre of media or a hobby (Reysen & Branscombe, 2010). It is also used to describe a person who admires somebody or something or enjoys watching or listening to somebody or something a lot. Furthermore, fans can be separated into a variety of categories. For example, people who support a sport, watching competitions, are called sports fans; people who love Korean idols, buy albums and go to concerts, are called K-pop fans; due to their interests, many people use their fanship advantage to build fan groups or engages in different fan circles (Laffan, 2020). These groups are collectively known as fandoms, there are fandoms for pretty much anything, some of the biggest examples of categories of fandoms are music, TV shows/movies and sports. However, there are also fans of other categories such as politicians, brands and content creators (like those on social media). Fandom can also inspire people to create things that are about the particular fandom like fanart, fan edits, fanfiction, skits and cosplay (see Figure 2'

History of fandom

The word “fan” originates from the modern Latin word “fanaticus” which means insanely but divinely inspired (Pan, 2022) and was first recorded in 1885 to refer to baseball die-hards (Seagriff, 2023). Whereas “fandom” is formed from the earlier noun “fan” and the suffix – “dom” which refers to a domain (like kingdom), collection of persons (like officialdom), rank or station (like earldom) or general condition (like freedom) (Collins Dictionary, n.d.).

The earliest known use of the noun was in 1930s in the Cincinnati Enquirer (Oxford English Dictionary, 2023). Some of the first recorded evidence of fandoms was Sherlock Holmes in 1893 (Brombley, 2017). As well as the World Science Fiction Convention which has been running since 1939 as this community took over the 1930s. In the 1970s fan art and fanfic for fandoms like Star Trek which became more popular as media became more accessible (Helleckson & Busse, 2006).

Quiz 1 What was the first recorded fandom? Sherlock Holmes Star Trek 2 What year was the word "fan" first recorded: 1880 1855 1885

Motivation of fandom

There are several different motivational causes for joining a fandom generally. These motivations include group identification, a sense of belonging and escapism.

Firstly, group identification is when a person identifies with a social group, leading to a sense of belonging and attachment to that group. It includes emotional connections, shared values and common interests with other group members (Henry et al., 1999). People have intentions of joining a group by attributing themselves to one specific or multiple groups and then experiencing empathetic emotions with the group. Additionally, they apply characteristics of the group as a representation of their personality. Fans participate in or develop fandoms to fulfil the need to be identified or accepted. Which establishes a sense of acceptance and confirmed self-identity within their fandom through a number of ways (Pan, 2022). As an example, sports fans identity a sense of honour and happiness according to their favourite team’s performance and identify their team’s failure as their own (Hirt & Clarkson, 2010). (See Figure 3)

Figure 3. Portuguese fans at Euro 2004

Belonging to a group of people who share the same interests, not only would bring significant happiness but also an increase in self-esteem and benefit one’s self-meaning. However, some people develop a wrong relationship with their fame figure (Pan, 2022). The togetherness, collective intimacy and ‘being a part of’ something that is open and inviting but also inviting is the central motivational values for members. The representation of the fame figures values which are then shared by the fandom, bonding the group. These interactions and values allow fans to experience closeness with other fans and the fame figure, regardless of geographical location (Edlom & Karlsson, 2021a).

The driving factors for individuals when deciding to join a fandom is a sense of belonging to a special group. Each fanbase has a different set of values that are associated with it. Often, individuals want to be a part of something special, that they can relate to and are passionate about (Pan, 2022; Towery, 2023). In some cases, this sense of belonging is deeper than just connecting with other fans. Some individuals have such a deep connection to their fandom, that they almost feel as though they are a part of the fandom. For example, with sport, someone might feel as though they are on the field/court with their team. Overall, these connections are just a sense of belonging, rather than an actual physical connection (Towery, 2023). This is backed up by a meta-analysis conducted by Reysen et al., (2018) backs this up as all but one of the studies indicated that a sense of belonging is a motivator when joining a fandom.

Finally, escapism is when someone seeks entertainment with the intention of escaping reality. Often it is done when real-life suffering is too much to bear therefore people seek entertainment to escape. It’s found to be rewarding to escape from the pressure that causes a person to wish to follow something or someone (Pan, 2022). It is also believed that escapism also provides fans with a more desirable state of being than the one that is being presently experienced. This is often done to maintain emotional wellbeing (Mohd Jenol & Ahmad Pazil, 2020). As an example, Zhang (2020) conducted a case study of Marvel fans. They found that it helped with people’s release and escape from daily pressure and stress by imagining themselves as superheroes which helps them feel empowered and get metal satisfaction. It was also found that entertainment as a motive relates to a desire to watch for novelty, drama or escapism (Barney & Pennington, 2023).

Amber's experience Intrigued by the connection and the opportunity to connect with other like-minded people Amber decided to attend . She wishes to find people who understand her love for the fandom that always made her feel at home. The day of the convention arrives, and Amber is both anxious and excited. Whilst there she meets fellow fans who share and love and enthusiasm of the fandom, bonding over favourite characters and story arcs. Amber for the first time in a while feels connected to those around her.

Sports fandom

Within different sports fandoms, there are other motivations besides the ones previously mentioned. A common way of becoming a fan is being influenced by a sense of community, as most men who are sports fans do so because they played the sport but most women joined due to shared experiences with friends or family (Dietz-Uhler et al., 2000). Meaning that the growth of fans could be due to environmental influences instead of direct involvement. In a study conducted by Bang & O’Connor, (2022) found that 32% were initially intrigued by watching an exciting player and/or team or that they were first drawn into sports because of a certain player that was from their country. As when unsure which team to support, the participants often turned to the player/team from their own country. It was also noted that the more devoted a fan they become the more emotional involvement they have towards their team/player (Bang & O’Connor, 2022).

Figure 4. BLACKPINK fans at a concert in Chicago

Music fandom

Within different music fandoms, there are also some other motivations, specifically looking at the band BLACKPINK; were self-empowerment and mental comfort. Female fans (as most of them are female) feel self-empowerment, as BLACKPINK contests the traditional girls and their works convey the idea that women can be powerful and cool like men. Their outfits are sometimes gender-neutral, along with their music being stronger and more aggressive and less soft and cute. They have a special music and stage style which is called ‘girl crush’, which is a masculine style that helps construct an image of a modern independent and powerful women, in which fans want to become. In terms of mental comfort, fans chase the members makes them feel relaxed. One fan described the feeling of watching BLACKPINK’s performance (see Figure 4) or reading daily reports as “lighted my life” and “I learn to be calm”. Another fan noted that listening to the band’s music helped them to relieve stress and was very comfortable (Yuxuan Ding & Zhuang, 2021).

Quiz 1 What are the motivations of BLACKPINK fans? Self-empowerment Sense of belonging Mental comfort Entertainment 2 What are the motivations of sports fans? Sense of belonging Sense of community Boredom Country affiliation Entertainment

The role of social media in fandom motivation

Due to the evolution of social media, it has an impact on how people interact with fandoms and their motivations towards them. As fans are highly active in their engagement of their fandom, and at the centre is the ability to transform personal feelings into social interactions (Edlom & Karlsson, 2021a). Duffett (2013) claims that fandoms should be studied as a whole due to how fans find intimacy and build relationships with those around them. This as a whole is influenced by social media allowing fans to interact with each other online, making the interactions move faster and take place anywhere around the world. So simply interaction have changed into non-stop process of social effervescence rather than being networks of local culture. (Edlom & Karlsson, 2021a). Social media is often used as a marketing strategy as it can get the advertisement to a wider range of people. This can be useful as it can get the fandom to new fans which can increase the fan base, but it can also keep current/older fans within the fandom keeping them interested and interacting (Gamble et al., 2018).

Amber's experience Days after the convention, Amber became more involved with the fandom. She joined forums, and engaged in social media challenges by cosplaying and posting it online. Despite the initial anxiety, those in the fandom encouraged her to pursue it. Amber found confidence in herself due to the community's encouragement and felt seen and appreciated for her passion. The interactions helped her build friendships that transcend any initial anxieties. She learnt about other's stories about also feeling alone and found strength in the shared experiences.

Conclusion

Why people join fandoms isn’t always so straightforward, as there are multiple different motivations across a variety of categories. Generally, speaking people join fandoms for group identification, a sense of belonging and escapism. Group identification and a sense of belonging are connected as it gives fans a place to meet like-minded people who share the same interests and shared values; while also providing and emotional connection. This sense of belonging brings has a positive effect on the fans themselves due to the social connections it brings regardless of geographical location. Another is escapism, which allows the fans to escape from the “real world”, as they seek entertainment in order to escape. More specifically, for sports fandoms there is an inherent connection with teams/players from the same country as the fan, this also helps when unsure which team/player to root for. For BLACKPINK fans specifically, following the band allows them to feel empowered as they allow women to feel independent and powerful and brings them mental comfort in the same way escapism does. The majority of these motivations are only furthered by the use of social media as it is possible to connect with even more fans in the same fandom as you and interact with the fandom generally.

See also

• Fandom (Wikipedia)
• Media and Society - Summer 2019 (Wikiversity)
• Parasocial interaction (Wikipedia)
• Sport team fandom motivation (Book chapter, 2015)

References

Bang, P., & O’Connor, P. (2022). The Psychology and Motivations of Sports Fans. Journal of Student Research, 11(3). https://doi.org/10.47611/jsrhs.v11i3.3659

Barney, J., & Pennington, N. (2023). An exploration of esports fan identity, engagement practices, and motives. Telematics and Informatics Reports, 11, 100081. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.teler.2023.100081

Brombley, K. (2017). A case study of early British Sherlockian fandom. Transformative Works and Cultures, 23. https://doi.org/10.3983/twc.2017.0861

Collins Dictionary. (n.d.). Definitions of “dom.” In Collins English Dictionary. HarperCollins Publishers. https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/dom

Dietz-Uhler, B., Harrick, E., End, C., & Jacquemotte, L. (2000). Sex differences in sport fan behavior and reasons for being a sport fan. Journal of Sports Behavior, 23(3), 219–231. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/284062545_Sex_differences_in_sport_fan_behavior_and_reasons_for_being_a_sport_fan

Duffett, M. (2013). Introduction: Directions in Music Fan Research: Undiscovered Territories and Hard Problems. Popular Music and Society, 36(3), 299–304. https://doi.org/10.1080/03007766.2013.798538

Edlom, J., & Karlsson, J. (2021). Hang with Me—Exploring Fandom, Brandom, and the Experiences and Motivations for Value Co-Creation in a Music Fan Community. International Journal of Music Business Research, 10(1), 17–31. https://doi.org/10.2478/ijmbr-2021-0003

Gamble, J. R., McAdam, R., & Brennan, M. (2018). How User-centric Innovation is Affecting Stakeholder Marketing Strategies: Exploratory Findings from the Music Industry. European Management Review, 16(4). https://doi.org/10.1111/emre.12326

Helleckson, K., & Busse, K. (2006). Fan Fiction and Fan Communities in the Age of the Internet : New Essays (K. Hellekson & K. Busse, Eds.). Mcfarland & Co., Cop. https://books.google.com.au/books?id=UgZsi_DOKoQC&pg=PA41&source=gbs_toc_r&cad=2#v=onepage&q&f=false

Henry, K. B., Arrow, H., & Carini, B. (1999). A Tripartite Model of Group Identification. Small Group Research, 30(5), 558–581. https://doi.org/10.1177/104649649903000504

Hirt, E. R., & Clarkson, J. J. (2010). The Psychology of Fandom: Understanding the Etiology, Motives, and Implications of Fanship. In L. R. Kahle & A. G. Close (Eds.), Consumer Behavior Knowledge for Effective Sports and Event Marketing. Routledge.

Laffan, D. A. (2020). Positive Psychosocial Outcomes and Fanship in K-Pop Fans: A Social Identity Theory Perspective. Psychological Reports, 124(5), 003329412096152. https://doi.org/10.1177/0033294120961524

Mohd Jenol, N. A., & Ahmad Pazil, N. H. (2020). Escapism and motivation: Understanding K-pop fans well-being and identity. Malaysian Journal of Society and Space, 16(4). https://doi.org/10.17576/geo-2020-1604-25

Oxford English Dictionary. (2023). fandom, n. meanings, etymology and more | Oxford English Dictionary. Oed.com. https://doi.org/10.1093//OED//6603613080

Pan, Y. (2022). Analysis on the Motives Being a Fan or Fandom and the Possible Factor That Some Fans Performed Sasaengpaen/Fanatical Behavior. Advances in Social Science, Education and Humanities Research, 631. https://doi.org/10.2991/assehr.k.220105.049

Reysen , S., & Branscombe, N. R. (2010). Fanship and fandom: Comparisons between sport fans and non-sport fans. Journal of Sport Behavior, 33, 176–193. https://doi.org/10.13072/midss.472

Reysen, S., Plante, C., Roberts, S., & Gerbasi, K. (2018). Motivations of Cosplayers to Participate in the Anime Fandom. The Phoenix Papers, 4(1), 29–40. http://dx.doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/UT4FB

Seagriff, C. (2023, February 24). The Beginnings of Fandom Culture. That Fangirl Life. https://thatfangirllife.com/2023/02/the-beginnings-of-fandom-culture/

Towery, N. A. (2023). A Sense of Belonging: A Qualitative Investigation Into the Origination of Collegiate Sport Fanship and Fandom. Communication & Sport, 12(5), 216747952311716. https://doi.org/10.1177/21674795231171604

Yuxuan Ding , & Zhuang, X. (2021). Why Chasing Kpop? Is Fandom Truely Crazy? -- The Motivations and Behaviors of Kpop Fans. Www.webofproceedings.org. https://doi.org/10.25236/ermss.2021.008

Zhang, H. (2020). Grouping and Separating of the Cyber Communities --A Case Study of “Marvel Fans.” Sociological Review of China, 8(4), 1193—1194. http://src.ruc.edu.cn/EN/Y2020/V8/I4/104

External links

• A psychologist peers into the brain of a sports ‘superfan’ (Forbes)
• Archive of Our Own, Home Page (Archive of Our Own)
• Definition of "dom" (Collins English Dictionary)
• Fandom, n. meanings, etymology and more (Oxford English Dictionary)
• The Beginnings of Fandom Culture (That Fangirl Life)
• The F word: Empowering the fandom in all of us | Jordan Dinwiddie | TEDxPortland (YouTube)