A fan is an enthusiastic devotee of something. The object of adoration could be sports, a famous person or an entertainer. This enthusiastic devotion is sometimes obsessive and far removed from reality. Fans often organize themselves into groups based on the interests they share. This has given rise to a phenomenon known as fandom. Historically fans were seen as obsessive individuals with little rational control over their actions.
Recent research has proven that not all fans are rabid individuals. Costello (124) found out that the contemporary audience is sophisticated. The study reports that the modern fans are devoted to programs which make them think and generate meaningful discussions. This paper will critically examine how current cultural and media practices challenge the notion that the fan is an obsessive individual.
Historical descriptions of the fan led to difficulty in differentiating the fan from the fanatic. It is important to note that the fan with an extreme enthusiasm is different from a fanatic. The fanatic violates established social norms. Extreme fanatics may believe in something that is totally false. The fans behavior is often judged by society as abnormal. But it is crucial to state that the fan’s behavior does not violate prevailing social norms.
It has been argued that media influence on the audience is not uniform. Different individuals respond differently to media content. Media has been implicated for fueling and aiding the emergence of fandom. Response to media text is influenced by various factors including interpersonal relationships and situations.
The idea that a fan is a member of a hysterical crowd is not entirely accurate. Some individuals who fit into the widely accepted description of a fan have not joined any fan group. Fan groups are known to engage in extreme display of affection for their object of adoration.
Within a hysterical group space is provided for individual expression of adoration. Fan crowds are known to display this extreme affection in public. Perhaps it is this public display by the extreme enthusiasts that led to the notion that the fan is a member of a crowd. The fan who prefers to follow programs at home alone has been erroneously grouped with the obsessive fans.
What qualifies as obsessive is relative. Media has greatly contributed to the propagation of this idea. This view holds that what passes as abnormal behavior in one culture or setting may be regarded as normal in another. This positively reinforces the behavior. In some settings extreme behavior is acceptable while the relevant event is on. It is not uncommon to see football fans for example, removing their tops after their favorite team scores.
Audiences have been classified based on activity level. This categorization gives rise to two types of audiences. There is the active audience and the passive audience.
The active audience is regarded as independent. This audience does not indulge so much in obsessive behavior. An active audience is capable of making its own meaning out of television content. The passive audience on the other hand is considered to be composed of irrational individuals who can easily be influenced (Fiske 15). They are seen as helpless victims of media producers (Costello 124).
In many ways we are all fans of some sort. We all have something that we enjoy doing. We go beyond the ‘normal intensity’ of endurance to enjoy such an activity. Fans have been labeled as deviant individuals and negative stereotypes of the fan are displayed by the press. In any audience fans are the most dedicated and visible individuals. When it comes to sports, fans are the driving force behind the success of many teams.
Without them the financial success witnessed by some football teams may not be possible. Intense admiration of a team, a player or a musical band is maligned and stigmatized yet fans are an important part of sporting success. Instead of maligning them, they should be recognized as creative and energetic individuals out to entertain themselves. In their own right fans are producers and shapers of culture.
The society’s obsession with the rich and the famous is fueled by the media. There is a lot of material in the media about celebrity lifestyles. Media has made this information very accessible. It can be said that the audience has no control over what it consumes. There are daily celebrity discussions in the media. Some magazines and electronic media have dedicated sections for celebrity gossip. People are therefore primed by the media towards fandom.
Much of what is said about celebrities is not very useful to the consumer if any useful at all. The consumers are provided with what they do not need. This is done repeatedly until the consumers get the impression that they cannot do without the celebrity talk and gossip. All this hype is aimed at increasing revenue. In the end the consumer ends up purchasing unnecessary goods and services. Continued supply of this information is a fertile ground for the development of celebrity worship.
On the flipside, fans can indeed be obsessive individuals with little restrain. Excessive enthusiasm has been associated with many negative outcomes. The crazed fan has no room for opposing support. This group of fans is often aggressive. If their object of admiration is attacked, they often hull expletives or throw objects at the perceived aggressor.
This is true regardless of the object of admiration. Extreme enthusiasm may drive its ‘victims’ into undesirable conditions and states. Many syndromes associated with extreme zeal for certain objects, persons or activities have been described. The most described is celebrity worship syndrome.
Many researchers have studied celebrity worship. For instance, McCutcheon et al. (85) studied it and made a single scale for measuring celebrity worship. Higher scores are indicative of a higher level of worship. The identifying features of this level include over-identification and obsession with the celebrity.
Lower scores are generally associated with less risky individual behavior such as watching and reading about a celebrity. Other researchers like Maltby (1156) reported that celebrity worship can happen at more than one level. They suggested that it is in three dimensions.
- Entertainment social: this level theorizes that fans are drawn to a certain celebrity or individual by their ability to entertain and become a social icon. Fans who fall under this category love to talk about their favorite celebrities in public. They also love to watch their celebrities in public.
- Intense personal: this involves extreme feelings about the celebrity. Fans may claim that when something bad happens to their favorite celebrity, they feel as though they were also affected.
- Borderline-pathological: this dimension represents an extreme obsession with the celebrity. The fan experiences uncontrollable fantasies involving the celebrity and him. The fan may feel completely helpless.
Poor mental health has been associated with celebrity worship. Celebrity worship has been associated with higher levels of depression and anxiety (Matby et al. 112). The study also found out that there is a correlation between celebrity worship and negative affect. Celebrity worship can also increase reports of illness.
Celebrity worship may shape perception of body image. An individual fan may want to dress like a certain celebrity. In some cases a fan may desire a body shape similar to that of a favorite celebrity. If the fan does not achieve this, it may lead to undesirable mental states like depression.
There is a reversed form of celebrity worship in which admiration is substituted for hate. The fan usually fantasizes about changing the life of the celebrity. This often comes in the form of malicious rumors and character assassination. The object of such ‘admiration’ does not have to be the usual celebrity.
Any person who is charming, charismatic, and likeable can be a victim of such hate. It is not easy to predict the course and pattern of such hate. This twisted admiration is directed at members of society who seem accomplished. The perpetrators are often mentally ill.
Fan activities are varied depending on the group. Fans often carry out activities as a team. These activities require time and money. The enthusiast is often carried away by the activities and begins to spend more time away from the usual daily activities. At this extreme end the fan cares more about self gratification.
Some notable examples of fan activities include travelling together, purchasing team merchandise in the case of sports, purchasing items previously owned by a celebrity and getting celebrity autographs. All these activities move the fan closer to the object of enthusiasm. Writing has also emerged as one of the activities fans love to engage in. This gives fans a chance to express their admiration in a creative manor. They can write based on either their experiences or fiction.
Extreme behavior can be seen as a way of exerting dominance. Public display of extreme behavior may give fans a false impression that they are more superior to others. Some fans resort to physical aggression to affirm their dominance. Such fans may have a higher risk of developing mental illnesses. Aggression could be an external pointer to changes in the mental health of the individual. Bullying is especially common in football. This aggression is directed at both the opponents and players who are perceived to be a letdown.
This analysis looked at the idea that the fan is an obsessive individual in detail. It looked at the categories of audiences in detail. An active audience participates in media programs and can find its own meanings in the text. The passive audience on the other hand is at the mercy of the media producers.
The fan is not always an obsessive individual. Active audiences love participation. However, some fans may be controlling. Some may want to have too much power over what is presented to them. The extremely enthusiastic fans may have an uncontrollable urge to share their favorite programs with other fans. This, as was discussed in the paper has a tendency to predispose to mental illness. Some aspects of fandom like celebrity worship have been created and disseminated by the media.
Works Cited
Costello, V. and Barbara, M. “Cultural Outlaws: An Examination of Audience Activity and Online Television Fandom”. Television New Media. 8(2007): 124. Web. DOI: 10.1177/1527476406299112.
Fiske, J. Television culture. London: Methuen, 1987. Print.
Malby et al. “Thou Shalt Worship No Other Gods – Unless They Are Celebrities”. Personality and Individual Differences. 32(2002): 1157-1172.Print.
McCutcheon, L. E., Lange, R., & Houran, J. “Conceptualization and measurement of celebrity worship”. British Journal of Psychology, 93(2002): 67-87. Print.