In 1893, thousands of people gathered in public spaces to mourn the death of a fictional detective, a phenomenon that would later define the very concept of fandom. When Arthur Conan Doyle killed off Sherlock Holmes in The Final Problem, the public reaction was so intense that a funeral procession was held for the character in London, with mourners wearing black armbands and carrying wreaths. This event marked one of the earliest recorded instances of a subculture forming around a shared obsession with a media property, predating the term fandom by decades. The grief was so profound that fans began writing their own stories to bring Holmes back, creating what is now recognized as the first wave of fan fiction between 1897 and 1902. These early devotees, known as Sherlockians, established a tradition of treating the fictional world as real, a practice that would eventually evolve into the modern fan community. The Janeites, followers of Jane Austen who began gathering around 1870, also contributed to this early subculture, proving that the emotional investment in fictional characters was not a modern invention but a historical constant. The railway enthusiasts of the late 19th century further expanded this definition, organizing themselves into groups that tracked and preserved the history of trains, demonstrating that fandom could exist outside of narrative media entirely. These early groups laid the groundwork for the social structures that would later emerge in the 20th century, proving that the desire to connect over shared interests is a fundamental human behavior.
The Birth of Science Fiction Clubs
The organized science fiction fandom of the 1930s created the first formal structures for fan interaction, establishing clubs and conventions that would become the blueprint for all future subcultures. The first World Science Fiction Convention was held in 1939, and since then, these gatherings have evolved into massive events that draw tens of thousands of attendees. The community developed its own language, known as fanspeak, which included terms like fanac for fan activity and fanspeak for the unique jargon used within the group. The Society for Creative Anachronism, founded by members of the science fiction fandom, began as a medievalist re-creation group and has since grown into a global organization with thousands of members. Notable figures such as Marion Zimmer Bradley, Poul Anderson, and Robert Asprin were not just fans but active participants who helped shape the community from within. The community's focus shifted from critical discussion to creative production in the early 1970s, when media fandom split from science fiction fandom to focus on relationships between characters in television and film. The MediaWest convention in the late 1970s provided a video room that became instrumental in the emergence of fan vids, or analytical music videos based on a source. By the mid-1970s, it was possible to meet fans at science fiction conventions who did not read science fiction but only viewed it on film or television, signaling a shift in the nature of fandom itself. The community's ability to organize and sustain itself over decades demonstrated the power of shared passion to create lasting social institutions.
The Grateful Dead subculture that emerged in the late 1960s to the early 1970s created a global fandom around hippie culture that would have lasting impacts on society and technology. Fans of the band, known as Deadheads, were among the first to use early internet technology to trade concert recordings and discuss the band's complex sound system, known as the Wall of Sound. This community began trading set lists and discussing the setup of the band's concert speaker system on ARPANET, a precursor to the Internet, in the early days of online networking. The Internet Archive began to add Grateful Dead shows in 1995, and online tape trading communities such as etree evolved into P2P networks trading shows through torrents. After the birth of the World Wide Web, many communities adopted the practices of Deadhead fandom online, creating a model for how fans could use technology to preserve and share their passion. The Deadheads' approach to fandom was unique in that it combined a deep appreciation for the music with a strong sense of community and a willingness to engage with technology in innovative ways. The community's focus on live performances and the exchange of recordings created a culture that valued the experience of the moment over the commercial product, a philosophy that would influence many other fandoms in the decades to follow. The Grateful Dead's influence extended beyond music, shaping the way fans interacted with technology and each other, and setting a precedent for the digital age of fandom.
The Rise of Media Fandom and Fan Labor
Media fandom split from science fiction fandom in the early 1970s with a focus on relationships between characters within TV and movie media franchises, such as Star Trek and The Man from U.N.C.L.E.. Fans of these franchises generated creative products like fan art and fan fiction at a time when typical science fiction fandom was focused on critical discussions. The MediaWest convention provided a video room and was instrumental in the emergence of fan vids, or analytical music videos based on a source, in the late 1970s. By the mid-1970s, it was possible to meet fans at science fiction conventions who did not read science fiction, but only viewed it on film or TV. The community developed its own vernacular, including terms like fanfic for fan fiction and fanac for fan activity. Fans began to create personalized characters representing themselves, known as fursonas in the furry fandom and ponysonas in the brony fandom. The brony fandom, which emerged in late 2010 and early 2011 on the imageboard 4chan, adopted the name brony, a portmanteau of bro and pony, and developed their own distinctive vernacular. Bronies have developed their own distinctive vernacular, organize numerous fan conventions, and engage in a culture of charitable activities. They commonly create personalized pony characters representing themselves called ponysonas, produce fan fiction, fan art, and original music inspired by the show. The brony fandom notably includes military personnel who have incorporated pony imagery into their units, and has attracted both media attention and academic study for challenging traditional gender norms around entertainment consumption.
The Power of the Fanbase
Fans have demonstrated the ability to influence the media industry through organized campaigns and collective action, proving that their power extends beyond mere consumption. In 1968, fans of Star Trek organized to save the show from cancellation, and similar efforts were made for Cagney & Lacey in 1983, Xena: Warrior Princess in 1995, and Roswell in 2000 and 2001. The Firefly fandom generated enough corporate interest to create a movie after the series was canceled, and fans of the show Chuck launched a campaign to save the show from being canceled using a Twitter hashtag and buying products from sponsors of the show. The Save Steve Holt! campaign for Arrested Development included a Twitter and Facebook account, a hashtag, and a website. Fans of the show Chuck launched a campaign to save the show from being canceled using a Twitter hashtag and buying products from sponsors of the show. The entertainment industry has promoted its work directly to members of the fandom community by sponsoring and presenting at events and conventions dedicated to fandom. Studios frequently create elaborate exhibits, organize panels that feature celebrities and writers of film and television, and engage fans directly with providing Q&A sessions, screening sneak previews, and supplying branded giveaway merchandise. The interest, reception, and reaction of the fandom community to the works being promoted have a marked influence on how film studios and others proceed with the projects and products they exhibit and promote. The relationship between fans and professionals has changed because of access to social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook, giving fans more ways to connect and participate in fandoms.
From Fan Fiction to Bestsellers
The transition from fan fiction to commercial success has created both opportunities and controversies within the fandom community. The book Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L. James was originally a fan fiction of the Twilight series published on FanFiction.Net, and the story was taken down for mature content that violated the site's terms of service. James rewrote the story to take out any references to Twilight and self-published on The Writer's Coffee Shop in May 2011. The book was published by Random House in 2012 and was very popular, selling over 100 million copies. However, many fans were not happy about James using fan fiction to make money and felt it was not in the spirit of the community. Some fans have made their work in fandom into careers, but there is contention over fans not being paid for their time or work. Gaming companies use fans to alpha and beta test their games in exchange for early access or promotional merchandise, and the TV show Glee used fans to create promotional materials, though they did not compensate them. The entertainment industry has promoted its work directly to members of the fandom community by sponsoring and presenting at events and conventions dedicated to fandom. Studios frequently create elaborate exhibits, organize panels that feature celebrities and writers of film and television, and engage fans directly with providing Q&A sessions, screening sneak previews, and supplying branded giveaway merchandise. The interest, reception, and reaction of the fandom community to the works being promoted have a marked influence on how film studios and others proceed with the projects and products they exhibit and promote.
The Digital Age of Fandom
The rise of the Internet created new and powerful outlets for fandom, allowing users to engage in discourse on a global scale and creating an even stronger sense of community among fans. Mark Duffet touches on this point in Popular Music Fandom: Identities, Roles and Practices, stating that online social media platforms have operated as a forthright challenge to the idea that electronic mediation is an alienating and impersonal process. Fandoms engaging with technology began with early engineers trading Grateful Dead set lists and discussing the setup of the band's concert speaker system, called the Wall of Sound, on ARPANET, a precursor to the Internet. This led to tape trading over FTP, and the Internet Archive began to add Grateful Dead shows in 1995. Online tape trading communities such as etree evolved into P2P networks trading shows through torrents. After the birth of the World Wide Web, many communities adopted the practices of Deadhead fandom online. Fans now create pictures known as edits, which consist of pictures or photos with their chosen fandom characters in different scenarios, and these edits are often shared on social media networks such as Instagram, TikTok, Tumblr or Pinterest. Fans use gifs to show how they feel about characters or events in their fandom, and these are called reaction gifs. The rise of the Internet has furthermore resulted in the creation of online fan networks who help facilitate the exchange of fanworks, and fans congregate on forums and discussion boards to share their love for and criticism of a specific work.
Fandom as Activism and Identity
Fandom has evolved into a powerful force for social and political change, with fans using their collective power to advocate for causes and challenge societal norms. The Harry Potter Alliance is a civic organization with a strong online component which runs campaigns around human rights issues, often in partnership with other advocacy and nonprofit groups, and its membership skews college age and above. Nerdfighters, another fandom formed around Vlogbrothers, a YouTube vlog channel, are mainly high school students united by a common goal of decreasing world suck. K-pop fans have been involved in various online fan activism campaigns related to Donald Trump's presidential campaign and the Black Lives Matter movement. Some fans engage in fan activism, in which fans use market logic to apply political pressure and merge consumption behavior with political or civic goals. There are also fan organizations that participate in philanthropy and create a positive social impact. The brony fandom notably includes military personnel who have incorporated pony imagery into their units, and has attracted both media attention and academic study for challenging traditional gender norms around entertainment consumption. The Temple of the Jedi Order, or Jediism, a self-proclaimed real living, breathing religion, views itself as separate from the Jedi as portrayed in the Star Wars franchise, and sociologists view the conflation of religion and fandom in Jediism as legitimate in some sense, classifying both as participatory phenomena. Fandoms, for example at Comic Con, can sometimes lead to toxic behavior, including harassing other fans or media creators, but the overall impact of fandom on society remains a testament to the power of shared passion and community.