Superfans

Are you a superfan? Are you absolutely in love with a particular movie franchise, television series, book series, or comic book series? Do you study and consume all the information you can about your favorite fandom? Awesome! It’s a wonderful feeling when you find something that resonates deeply within you. Whether it’s sports, movies, books, comics or a television series, fandom is filled with passionate fans who make their fandom communities a fun place. Once we become emotionally invested in a particular fandom, it can also bring feelings of frustration when things suddenly change. Have you ever been so bothered by something happening in your fandom that you can’t stop thinking about it? Are you offended by negative comments on a fandom you love? Do you feel it necessary to defend your fandom?

Us too. Let’s take a look at our attachment to our fandoms and figure out if we are just disappointed superfans or if it’s something else entirely. Are we truly being super fans or are we unknowingly becoming part of the fandom nightmares?

Genuine fan disappointment or unhealthy fan behavior?

As with any kind of love, fandoms can also cause disappointment and (as anyone who has ever been on Reddit knows) even heated arguments. A comment from someone in the geek community or a disappointing story arc can make us feel sad, helpless, or angry. This is not uncommon: we know these characters are fictional, but we have real feelings about them.

But where do we draw the line between toxic fan behaviors and healthy engagement with the community?

It’s important to understand that obsessing over something like this is very human and many of us are emotionally invested in our fandoms. But when the obsessive thoughts become an active source of distress in our daily lives, it may no longer be simple fan disappointment: it can become an unhealthy obsession. These unhealthy behaviors take a situation that has already caused stress for us and magnifies the stress and the importance of the situation in our minds. It also hones in on the feeling of helplessness we may have in our inability to change what has already happened. This can make us feel powerless and betrayed.

Just like any other stressful situation in our lives, learning the best ways to manage stress and negativity in our life is the best way to feeling better about situations that are beyond our control.

Understanding the difference between a disappointed fan and a troll

There is a big difference between fans with unhealthy coping mechanisms and trolls. Some fans are just disappointed and want to talk about it. Some are just looking to seek validation of their thoughts and opinions. Seeking validation isn’t an issue, but it can become one when we begin to over-invest in the feelings of validation. Being “right” on social media threads can’t be the only source of positive feelings we have in our lives. If fans are allowing these conversations to determine their self-worth, it becomes an unhealthy co-dependency. It can take time away from other things in our life and will have us glued to our phones and computers, waiting for the next alert notification (waiting by the phone has a whole new connotation in the digital age). The drama of it all can become addicting. We start to feed off the negative energy we get from people arguing with us. But for some people, negative attention is better than getting no attention at all. This brings us to trolls.

A disappointed fan may get mad, emotional, and even rude. They may loudly explain that you are an idiot for thinking the way that you do. Much of that is general lack of courtesy. But just because someone rudely disagrees with you doesn’t make them a troll. What does make a troll is users who specifically spew hate, promote or threaten violence, and harass or stalk. They spread misinformation with anonymous accounts and create hate groups.  By asking ourselves what kind of comments these users are making (are they being inflammatory to get a rise out of you or start an argument?) we can choose not to participate in trolling culture.

Don’t be fooled by their attention-seeking tactics. No matter how logical, how reasonable or how right we may feel, we won’t change their minds. Trolls are not looking for a rational conversation or even a playful argument. The primary objective of a troll is to get a rise out of you. And when you react they get exactly what they wanted from you. For them, it’s a game. Your reaction is the prize.

Dealing with changes in fandom

Reflecting seriously on why we are experiencing such strong emotions in response to a particular event happening in our fandom can help us find a solution. If you find yourself dwelling excessively on how unfair things are, you are increasing your stress level. As in our everyday lives, we need to take action in our fandoms and find solutions. If it’s something that continues to cause strong emotions for you, then it’s time to see if what you are doing is healthy emotional processing or if it’s possibly toxic fan behavior. This article spells out some of the real-life dangers associated with online toxic fandom: Click Here

Responding to differing opinions

While on social media or with friends, when someone is sharing something that they are excited about, do you find it absolutely necessary to comment if you disagree?

For example:

“I just saw [The Worst Movie Ever] and I loved it! It was so great!”

In this scenario, someone is sharing something that brings them joy. Let them. Giving an opinion that may bring down someone’s level of excitement when they did not ask for it is inconsiderate. If you find yourself thinking “well they are wrong, I don’t care what they think or how they feel,” then you are participating in unhealthy fan behaviors. Perhaps exploring more about why you are having trouble being empathic can help you learn more about yourself. Here is a handy resource for that: Click Here

Had the post read:

“I just watched [The Worst Movie Ever] and I loved it! What do you think?”

Then you are free to comment “This is the worst movie ever.”

Try to keep an open mind. Maybe you do not appreciate changes made to a favorite television series or movie franchise. But you can understand why others like it. Being empathic to other fans is essential to keeping fandom communities fun. You do not need to agree with other people. We have to let others enjoy what makes them happy and not what we think would make them happy. We need to appreciate the differences in one another. The sooner you let go of your perceived notions of what fandom should be, the sooner you can get back to enjoying your own fandom experience.

Avoid the path to the dark side

Many times, as superfans, we don’t realize that the behaviors we are engaging in are toxic or unhealthy. Sometimes it’s just your mind’s attempt to make sense and move on from a frustrating situation. (All of the Last Jedi. Ahem.)

Unhealthy obsession with a fandom related disappointment can leave you distracted for long periods of times and lead to elevated levels of stress. It’s important to figure out how to establish boundaries for yourself and how to cope with disappointment in a healthy way.

• Talking to your friends can be a healthy way to process how you are feeling about something. But too much discussion can just cause a loop of frustration. Limit the time you spend thinking or talking about a particular subject.

• Reflect: What it is that makes you so scared of change? Think about what those changes represent for you and why they make you angry/frustrated/sad/etc.  The night is dark and full of terrors. And (to mix fandoms) take some time to make sure you are not following the path to the dark side. If you are reading this article, chances are you are doing your best to stay on the bright side of the road.
• Know yourself. If you know that seeing a specific actor or director’s social media posts upsets you, unfollow them. Period.

If you simply cannot get over something, then it’s time to refocus. Maybe you have just outgrown that particular fandom and it’s time for you to create. Create your own characters and develop your own story arcs. There are entire communities built on fan fiction. We love Doctor Who and other fandoms because their stories reflect humanity’s potential for good, in spite of so much evidence to the contrary. Make Clara proud.

Why disgruntled voices seem louder

On social media platforms such as Instagram and Facebook, algorithms use engagement (likes or comments) to filter what you see and what you don’t see. Comments and posts that are divisive tend to receive the most attention, which increases their visibility. In other words, the more something pisses someone off, the more likely it is to show up on your feed. It creates an optical illusion of what a fandom actually looks like.

Don’t give value, attention, or time to those who do not deserve it. Value your time and energy. Value where you put it.

If you see a post on social media that is someone is bullying, harassing, or discriminating against someone report the post immediately and ask your friends to do the same. The more times an account is reported, the more likely the account will be suspended or shut down entirely.

We may not be Batman (yet), but we can still be the Heroes that Fandom Deserves.

How to make changes in a positive way

We can not control what others are doing. But we can control our own reactions.

When we are reactionary to negativity with vitriolic comments, we are effectively building a bigger pedestal with a louder microphone for the enemy. What we need is to find ways to amplify our own voices.

• Use social media algorithms for good! Like and comment on what you (literally) like. Share what you love. Do it often. Lift up the comments and posts that you love. If you don’t see posts about the things you love, then create them. Don’t give value or time to troll comments. Do you love a certain writer? Visit their page and let them know. Tag them in a story with a beating heart gif.

• Vote with your dollars. Did you like a season? Buy the season for yourself or buy it for a friend. Buy merchandise for your favorite show. Buy fan art. It will encourage artists to keep creating more art that you love.
• Recommend and talk about It! Don’t have money? No problem! Recommend what you love. Tell people about it. Leave positive comments about it on social media. You don’t need to convince others that what you love is great. Just say it.
• Support one another as fans. Let people know you support them. When someone is the victim of dogpiling or other put-downs, let them know you empathize.

Kurt Vonnegut maybe put it best: “Hello babies. Welcome to Earth. It’s hot in the summer and cold in the winter. It’s round and wet and crowded. On the outside, babies, you’ve got a hundred years here. There’s only one rule that I know of, babies—God damn it, you’ve got to be kind.”

We get you. Share the love.

Edited By Emily Schuck