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Published Jun 14, 2022

How fandom built the internet as we know it, with Kaitlyn Tiffany

Kaitlyn Tiffany unveils the transformative power of fandom, focusing on the One Direction community, and explains how these passionate groups have shaped online culture, social movements, and digital platforms like Tumblr and Twitter with their emotional intensity and community-driven dynamics.
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  • Tech & Emotion

    explores how technology evokes strong emotions, often becoming the most intense feelings people experience daily. He reflects on how platforms like social media are not neutral but actively shape emotional experiences, as highlighted in book, "Everything I Need I Get From You." The book examines how One Direction's fandom exemplifies this phenomenon, with fans' emotional investment influencing online culture significantly 1.

    Our screens and our systems aren't inert or neutral. They create emotions, sometimes the strongest emotions that anyone actually feels in their day to day lives.

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    shares insights into the band's origin and its chaotic yet novel presentation, which resonated with fans and fueled their emotional engagement 2.

       

    Fandom Platforms

    Fandoms have found a home on platforms like Tumblr and Twitter, where they can thrive and splinter into various factions. explains how the One Direction fandom, despite its fragmentation, remains powerful, with different groups aligning with specific band members 3. These platforms have been shaped by fandom dynamics, with social media becoming a space where fans can express their passions and connect with others, sometimes leading to conspiracy theories and intense community interactions 4.

    The dynamics of the platforms are fundamentally shaped by fandom, of which One Direction, it must be said, Justin Bieber was the first.

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    This interaction between fans and platforms highlights the dual nature of online communities, offering both connection and potential manipulation.

       

    Fandom Evolution

    The future of fandom culture is poised for transformation as digital platforms evolve. predicts a shift towards more insular and cult-like communities, where fans guard their spaces against commercialization 5. This evolution mirrors past underground scenes, now manifesting online, with some fandoms choosing to remain covert while others, like K-pop fans, embrace visibility.

    Fandom will hunker down and start policing its boundaries to avoid being capitalized in the same way that it has been in the past.

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    and Tiffany6.

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