Blogpost 2: The World of Fandom

     We've all heard a harrowing stories about the fans whose obsession went too far: TVXQ's phone lines are tapped and personal conversations recorded, Taeyeon of SNSD has been kidnapped by the fans, JYJ's Yoochun was been slapped by this sasaeng fans. But there are fans whose actions are harmless and self-gratifying, ranging to the k-pop conventions just to have fun. These kind of fans who are proud to be engaged on what they love, who are finding their community and  who are developing themselves. It is healthy, right?


       I've read an article entitled, "Is there Something Psychologically Unhealthy About Being a Fan?  by Phoebe Reilly of vulture.com. This article is about the three different perspective of psychiatrist about fandom. The first psychiatrist tells that, fandom is a form of escapism because we're living vicariously through these characters, and the world that’s been created, because we identify with them. The second one tells that, it is a displacement and it concerns him because people spends time worrying about fiction rather than improving their reality. And the last psychiatrist stated that, fandom is a distraction because people who are living their lives completely have very little time to be significant fans of anything, but people avoid struggling to find themselves because that journey is painful. She stated that "To an unforgiving extent, this is true. But by placing all the blame on entertainment, it fails to take into account the many other ways people can find to spend one’s time in ways less productive than striving to be a better person.

        Being on a fandom was fun and interesting. Its true that it is a form of escaping and there was a avoidance but there was hope and optimism. There was a camaraderie, a common shared interest brings people together. And it was a positive thing.

        Princeton University describes fandom thus: “Fandom (from the noun fan and the affix -dom, as in kingdom, freedom, etc.) is a term used to refer to a subculture composed of fans characterized by a feeling of sympathy and camaraderie with others who share a common interest.” But what exactly does being a subculture mean, and what power does it give fans?

         According to the article that I've read entitled, "Fandom as a Subculture" by Hannah Carter of fandomwanderers.wordpress.com tells that, subculture is defined as  cultural group within a larger culture (or cultures), often having beliefs or interests at variance with those of the larger culture. Fandom as a subculture has been around for many years. Fans of the original literary version of Sherlock Holmes are widely considered to have composed the first modern fandom creating some of the first fan fiction as early as 1887 and holding public demonstrations of mourning after Holmes was “killed” off in 1893. 


         Now the question is: What power does this subculture give us fans?  Think of the fandoms achieved. Fans raised money, prevent awareness, giving support and provided motivations. For example, one of the members of Infinite, L will be celebrating his birthday on March now the eLements are busy to prepare their gifts or messages for their idol. That's how fans demonstrate their support. Before she ended, she said that " Fandom is a subculture rife across the world, bringing people from disparate cultures, races, genders, ages, classes and religions together, and giving them the power to change the world they live in, all in the name of entertainment and the good of humanity."  


            Fandom is an amazing thing, with amazing power. When millions of individuals work together for a reason, no matter how tiny their separate impacts, the effect is huge.