Fan Army
| Synonyms: | |
| See also: | ship war, cancel culture, your fave is problematic, Fannish Community, fan club, Fandom Nickname, stan, sasaeng, |
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Fan Army is a phenomenon that can be traced back to the early 19th century ("Lisztomania") in the music fandom. It is usually a decentralized organized fan base consisting of hardcore fans who use organized actions like call-ins, letter send-in, flash mobs, or, in more recent times, social media platforms to gain attention or "right wrongs" against their favourites.
In the general media, activities by fan armies are usually viewed negatively and/or derogatory since it fulfills a very stereotypical view on fandom and fandom culture.
Since the 2000s and later years, the term stan may also be used by members of fan armies.
Often the line between doing good (like raising awareness or collecting funds for charities[1]) and bad toxic behavior (cyberbullying of individuals, behavior of fan armies may change quickly within a fandom and can often overshoot a noble goal in terms of fandom bubbles, hysteria[2] and overestimating the importance of topics compared the population outside a fandom.
Online media sites know about the potential to draw clicks and impressions to their sites, which is why the love to hold "Battle of the fan armies" kind of contests on their social media platform and websites.
One of the more recent, notorious fan armies out there is the BTSARMY which is not short of controversies surrounding their activities.
History
Bobby-Soxers were named for the rolled-down hosiery they matched with saddle shoes and skirts, these teen girls were pop music’s first real fan army, swooning and fainting over Frank Sinatra during World War II. Soon after, the Beatlemaniacs, often young, female fans of the Beatles, gained awareness by the media.[3]
"One of the longest-running fan armies in rock also created one of the first official charities run by rock fans. The Grateful Dead created the Rex Foundation to serve various charitable causes in 1983, and the Deadhead family has been running the operation successfully since then."
In the 1980s, fans of the created boy band Menudo where called Menuditis.
Other examples of Fan Armies
- The KISS Army- Founded in 1975 by two kids who pressured an Indiana radio station to play their favorite band, Kiss’ official fan club went on to become a card-carrying rock’n’roll institution.
- Deadheads - The Grateful Deads fan army
- Little Monsters - Lady Gagas fan army and one of the first example of modern day fan armies
- Swifites - Fan Army of the Taylor Swift fandom
- Directioners - Fan Army of One Direction
- K-Pop as a fandom are often seen as one.
Further Reading
- List of fandom names on Wikipedia
- An Evolution of Fan Armies -- From Beatlemaniacs to Swifties by Nick Murray, 7/20/2015, billboard.com
- 15 Of The BIGGEST Twitter Fan Armies In Pop!15 Of The BIGGEST Twitter Fan Armies In Pop! - Capital, Archived version
- How BTS mania spawned a toxic K-pop fanbase that attacked me online by Zachary KussinMay 18, 2019[5]
- Fan Army Face-Off: One Direction's Directioners Attempt to Overthrow Rihanna's Navy by Lauren Craddock, 7/25/2016, billboard.comFan Army Face-Off: One Direction's Directioners Attempt to Overthrow Rihanna's Navy, Archived version
- KPop Stans Are Psychopathic Video essay by Muggy
See also
References
- ^ Zack and Deborah Snyder on how charity-minded DC fans made 'The Snyder Cut' a reality — and reconciling good deeds with toxic fandom, Archived version
- ^ What Rick and Morty fans’ meltdown over McDonald’s Szechuan Sauce says about geek culture, Archived version
- ^ An Evolution of Fan Armies -- From Beatlemaniacs to Swifties, Archived version
- ^ From Deadheads to Directioners: Charitable Fan Armies, Archived version
- ^ How BTS mania spawned a toxic K-pop fanbase that attacked me, Archived version