Margazine

Fan Studies is a legitimate academic subject. Who knew?

I watched Georgie Caroll’s fan dynamics presentation during the August 2021 Pop Chat happy hour that marketer Brianne Fleming hosts. She works in book publishing by trade but is a Ph.D. candidate in Fan studies. T, It helped me understand my experiences with other Backstreet Boys fans on the web primarily. This is a summary of my takeaways from that presentation and some related thoughts. Lest you think it is frivolous, it provides real insight on behavior for business or personal purposes. These are my takeaways from the presentation along with some observations and thoughts about the topics she mentioned

The sociological definition of a fandom vs the lay one

  When most people hear the word “fandom,”  the is a group of fans devoted to particular objects such as entertainers. These broad groups of the fan even have names s For example, Taylor Swift has her Swifties. There also are armies of various stripes, like the BTS and Backstreet Boys ones.

However, a true fandom is a subcommunity within the larger fan community with its own belonging standards. They initially bond over their favorites but also participated in activities unrelated to their favorite.  I have seen this with the Backstreet Boys.  One blogger calls it a fan-mily . Many people say they owe their outside friendships to a common interest in the group. In this sense, I was never part of the fandom. I never fit the norms, nor have I ever participated in any secondary activity. At one point, this brought back the outsider feeling I experienced as a kid trying to belong. I realized once more that not everyone will like me, and it is sometimes is not my fault.

Fan Politics is unavoidable but disgusts me.

A true Fandom is a celebrity-centered immutable clique. Therefore I shouldn’t be surprised when members of these cliques engage in clique behaviors. Much like the Backstreet Boys themselves, I have sought validation from the wrong people at the expense of those who understand me. I will continue to be the casual devotee away from the official fandom. However, I am looking to escape all of that as a fan community member. I don’t mind having serious conversations about controversies, but I don’t want to be insulted for having a minority opinion. 

Backstreet Fan backlash over one member as example

BiranLittrell is such a lightning rod within the Backstreet Boys fandoms member because he doesn’t live up to the typical fan norms or expectations. For example, e is not afraid to speak his mind. This includes things that the usual fan may not like, such as his support of Trump.  In contrast, When people got upset over AJMclean’sn support of Biden on his Facebook, Lance Bass rushed in to tell them to respect Biden for the office. That’s what Brian said about Trump, and he got flack for. So again, Brian’s political views are another example of how he doesn’t fit the fan norm. . I was one of the few who actually understood it.

The opponent thinks that simply stating that you support all five is divisive and a gatekeeping act. No one is saying they are not real fans. That’s their perception because the rabid anti-Brian movement never gained traction as they hoped. . Some people came to terms despite previous disagreements with Brian and his wife. They may still take issue but have decided not to keep complaining about it publicly. Only two out of three major fan blogs ever said anything about, to begin with.

Marketing implications of fan behavior

Georgie talked about marketing implications. The saying the squeaky wheel gets the grease is valid here. Marketers tend to focus on the die-hard who spend the most. I suppose this is true for the following reasons that I learned in my own business studies. They high profitable with low acquisition costs because they spend so much and so willingly. However, she argues this more frugal fans out creating an economic rift. She cited Taylor Swift’s focus on more expensive fan experiences as an example of this.

I protiortize value

Personally, incidentals are not essential to me. I wouldn’t pay a lot for less than a minute photo of only even without covid related restrictions. However, I might consider a Looped Call since they are much cheaper and more personal.

I decided to buy a Backstreet Boys sweater after it was on sale. After paying just 4  dollars for a Limited edition Grumpy Cat funko figure through a third-party Amazon seller, I realized I could have my Brian Littrell figure much cheaper elsewhere. So if If you are going all five at once, you should shop around if you are price sensitive like me. Otherwise, you will end up paying more than $60 for all of them.

In addition, the US Backstreet store uses DHL, which contracts with the post office to actually deliver the item SCOVID- elated personnel shortage cause an unnecessary delay. If this was my only experience with the Backstreet merchandise store, it might have negatively affected my perception. However, at least with the sweater, customer service was quick to answer my tracking questions.

What are “Brandoms?”

This lead to another interesting topic of brand communities. Fan generally hate them because they lack control and input into their design and function. Created communities, on the other hand, create more authentic bonds. They begin to enjoy their company and find alternative means of expressing support of their favorite when official channels let them down.

Brand communities seem more practical for products and places. A local example is LA Gattara in the Phoenix area. With events owner and founder Missy Pruitt successfully positioned the place as a community center around the cat with a focus on the non-adoption related event

In summary, this was an exciting subject in line with my more philosophical view of fan culture. It is also in line with Brianne’s mix of marketing and pop culture. So, if you are a passionate fan looking to intellectualize your involvement, look into fan studies. It might yield some understanding of the fan dynamics that you are involved in.

Related

Find out more about Georgie Carroll’s work

website georgiacarroll.com

Twitter @fansumption

Participate in Pop Chat and the Pop Chat Happy Hours

The Pop Chat Twitter chats take place Brianne Fleming’s Twitter account @brianne2k, Fridays at 1 pm US Eastern time. Brianne sends invitations for the monthly Zoom Happy Hour to her email list subscribers. You can subscribe to her list and find out more information about her at Briannefleming. com

My other fandom-related feelings serve as an introduction to my Backstreet Boy previous entry list post.

My Fandom fringe views Of The Backstreet Boys – Margazine

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