fan I am

Fan I Am #3: Identifying As A Fan

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Whirlpool

Previously I identified the following forms of fans:

  • Recreational – The fandom is fun.
  • General Interest – There is definite interest in the subject, and time is put in.but not much is done with it.
  • Social – One identifies with, socializes, and bonds with other fans.
  • Active – One is actively doing things in the fandom.
  • Applied – One’s fandom interest is involved in career and/or large parts of one’s life.

So now we’re back to one of the questions that started this all: does it make sense to identify as a fan.

I meet so many fans and people for whom fandom is a strong part of their identity. I also see pathology in fandom identity, in flamewars and meltdowns and worse. Yet I also see people for whom it delivers passion and happiness.

So it makes sense to ask such a question.

But First . . .

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Fan I Am #2: Forms Of Fans

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People And Profile

So here’s where we start, asking about how fandom identity works and the benefits, problems, and questions of the fan identity. To do that we’ll need to ask what kinds of fans we are.

It may seem strange, one may say, to analyze why people identify as yaoi fans or love the Cleveland Browns inexplicably. However man people do identify with fandoms and their loves even in things that may seem irrelevant to others.

However, identity is not irrelevant. And that’s where we start.

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Fan I Am #1: Examining Fandom Identity

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Crowd Of People

And so, after spending time exploring the job market and its pathologies, I turn my attention to fan identity.

I’m doing this because in many discussions with friends, the question has often come up – “why do we identify with our hobbies?” And this is coming from a group of gamers, anime fans, technologists, manga writers, and people who are offended at how “Big Bang Theory” portrays geeks. We’re not exactly “un-fannish.”

But we do have that question – as may you.

It’s a great question because why do people care about calling themselves Anime Fans, or Sports Fans (or fans of a specific team no matter how bad it is), or Gamers, and so on? I mean why does this become part of who we are? Why, if this identity is so important, does it lead to fan battles and meltdowns that seem to negate it or tarnish it?

Does this kind of identification actually make sense – and if so, under what conditions.

This question intrigued me, so over time, and with he feedback of some great people, I assembled a theory on fan identity – and where it is and isn’t healthy. There’s a lot more to fans than people think, including the fans themselves.

This exercised proved to be useful as it gave me a taxonomy of fans. Such a guide can help us understand identity as geeks since we intersect with fandom pretty heavily. It also helps analyze pathologies we may encounter, since another popular thing in any fandom is complaining about how awful it is. Where, in short, does identity work and where does it fail?

So, let’s voyage into the mind of the fan. Or my mind thinking about fans. Sort of fanception.

And, if I must present my fan/geek creds I consider myself a fan of:

  • Video games (enough I debate proper identities).
  • Anime (Japan delivers some great stuff in the medium that continues to entertain).
  • Cooking (Is this a fandom? Have you ever heard me go on about curry?)
  • Geekdom itself. (SUre I analyze it but also I just enjoy it).

So I’m a geek. And a fan.

Let’s go meet ourselves.

– Steven Savage

Steven Savage is a Geek 2.0 writer, speaker, blogger, and job coach.  He blogs on careers at http://www.musehack.com/, publishes books on career and culture at http://www.informotron.com/, and does a site of creative tools at http://www.seventhsanctum.com/. He can be reached at https://www.stevensavage.com/.