Post 11: Fandom Emotions

When you're part of a fandom, there would be situations that you react to something. It could be a video, gif, fancam, photo, song, fanfictions, anything. Fans have huge connection to other fans wherein they interact with each other and share common things related to what fandom they're in. The article, Fandom and the Emotional Connection, written by Z. McAspurren, they call it 'the feels'. Fans feel different emotions as they react to something. It's already normal to act like that once you entered a fandom, especially if you're a fangirl or fanboy. Sometimes, there would be screaming, shouting, or even crying at some point. People might think that it's 'overreacting', but idols understand it because they wouldn't really expect this kind of reaction and appreciation.

"Fandom has a way of doing that to people, giving this deep emotional connection with the people who find themselves drawn into it"

When you're in a fandom, you act like family with other fans. You connect with each other, share your deepest emotions, and the only person that could understand you is each other. Who else could understand your random talk about your idol? It's only yourselves. Fans would go talk random stuff and talk about exciting things, but if you try to talk about it to other people, and they're not a fan of that idol, then probably they can't relate. This shows that fandom is a way for fans to communicate. Fans are friendly, hyper, and loves to have fun like their idols.

SNSD Jessica & Sunny
(c) songjinna

Next is shipping, now this is not literally about a ship. If you're a fan of a group, or a certain fictional character, you ship about two or three of them. To make things clear, I'll cite an example of a known group. I'm a new fan of them and I've seen the kind of fandom they have. Example, in One Direction, there are five of them. I would say, I ship Niall and Liam. Maybe Directioners (their fans) would think, "Oh, she ships Niam!" (Niall & Liam) It would be either, the two members together (pairing), or you have more than one favorite member in the group. It's the same as other groups or characters. The writer also stated that, "Shipping is a good example of the emotional connection that fandom is able to give its participants, though it's not necessarily the only example."

"Fandom is designed for people to share their 'feels' with other people, who are probably having similar 'feels'."

Fans, whether in the same country or not, local or international, they are all connected. This is where amazing friendship start between them and their idols that they truly adore, admire, and love. Fans give out each other fanfictions, they spazz, they talk about their idols, they make brilliant videos, fan arts, they send loving messages to their idols, they gather together in exclusive events, they share adorable pictures of them and their idols wherein they might melt, and all other interesting things. Being in the world of fandom is truly amazing without you noticing it, until you stop and think about it for a while. Fans will be grateful to know that there also others who are the same as they are. Same interests, same favorites, and they understand each other and most especially, you would be surprised that there also others who would have the same fan reactions as you. When you're in the world of fandom, you will not be alone. You have your fellow fans and your idol(s) with you.