As someone whose first fandom experiences were on FF.net, forums, fansites, and AIM chats in the early 2000s, the absolute most important advice I want to give young people in fandom spaces today is this:
Do not put big name fans on a pedestal.
I get it, it's really easy to idolize people who make fanworks and share headcanons you like. But they're people, like you, who happen to really like a thing. They aren't necessarily an authority on that thing, and you shouldn't feel like you have to take every word they say as the gospel truth.
A few years ago I wrote a primer about some previously niche characters in a series I like who happened to gain prominence due to a new game that had come out. It was meant to be a purely informative document to help people new to the characters with finding basic information so they could extrapolate on things in their fanworks. What I wasn't prepared for, however, was a flood of people in my inbox asking me, a stranger, to validate their headcanons and fan interpretations. Every time I did my best to gently explain that this wasn't my job and that they got to interpret the source material how they wanted - it wasn't my place to tell them how to think. As it went on, I quickly made it clear that I didn't want to be involved directly in fandom spaces in this way and I would essentially be sticking to making informative posts about how things worked and could be compared to real world equivalents. Thankfully for me, people slowed down and eventually stopped, but it made me stop and think about how fandom had changed since I was younger - and how in many ways it had stayed the same.
"Big name fan" used to be a pretty neutral term; in fact, it was often a positive one. These were the people organizing zines and conventions and running informative fansites. They were the backbone of fandom spaces. They brought people together. Around the time I was starting to explore fandom as a teenager in the early 2000s, though, it was taking on a different meaning. The big name fans I was seeing were constantly getting into fights and drama (this was called "fandom wank" when it was over things that were inconsequential in real life), and every so often, you'd hear about something actually horrifying that had occurred online in a more private space. Most fandom business, however, was still conducted in the open, on forums and Livejournal and personal websites.
Modern social media caused a huge shift in how fandom operated, and that's a lengthy discussion for another time because it's fascinating in its own right. Fans left Livejournal for Tumblr and Twitter. YouTube video essays began to pop up. People went from making icons to gifsets. On their own, these are neutral changes. The big problem with the shift really has to do with social media algorithms and sharing and how much more frequent it is for people to be able to rise to the top above the rest of a fandom space. Sometimes it's just someone who makes cool art or writes great fics and is chill and likes chatting to other fans about headcanons and the things they like.
And sometimes it becomes almost cult-like.
I had largely stepped away from involvement in fandom spaces around the time this shift was taking place in the early 2010s, because I had determined that I preferred small spaces with a few friends who also liked the same things as me. Given the way fandom often functions now, I'm really glad I did that early, but I don't fault anyone who got swept up in things now. It isn't your fault for not knowing or realizing what you were getting into if something happened to you. I don't really think I can pinpoint one exact moment where the shift happened, but it had definitely begun by 2015, if things I heard from friends who liked Undertale were any indication. Fandom spaces were growing more hostile and about the commodification of fanworks, and thanks to social media making it easier than ever before to share fanworks you liked, it was easier for fans to coalesce around creators they liked, elevating these people into big name fans.
The problem with being a big name fan in today's fandom world is that suddenly all eyes are on you. This creates a hostile environment that goes both ways. Your fans will take your word as gospel, treat your headcanons as canon, and sometimes go as far as to attack other people who don't interpret the source material the same way as you. On the flip side of this, you yourself are also under their intense scrutiny at all times, and if you do anything they deem a misstep, your pedestal will crumble to dust and they'll start attacking you. It's an inherently unhealthy environment for both the BNF and their followers, and it often leads to cult-like social dynamics. This can especially intensify if the fan space moves to a more private location, such as a Discord server. It's really easy for these spaces to become echo chambers, and it's also really easy to isolate people in them - which of course means these spaces become an easy place for abuse to occur. Peer abuse is commonly used against people who step out of line with the belief system, and people are regularly harassed out of spaces or, in even more horrifying cases, emotionally and/or sexually abused, because the relative privacy of a server makes it easier for perpetrators to get access to younger people and isolate them.
It is a deeply unhealthy ecosystem. Fandom isn't supposed to be stressful. Fandom should be a place where you can grow, safely make mistakes, learn, and do better. Growing up, I did see a lot of fighting in fan spaces, but ultimately it wasn't as remotely hostile as things have gotten now, and it's really upsetting.
Some important things you can do to make things safer for yourselves and others, because I've also learned internet safety isn't being taught much anymore either:
- Do not share your personal information online with strangers. I know, social media normalized this one, but it isn't a good thing. Nobody inherently has the right to that information about you, and this information can often be used to hurt you (especially sharing your mental health issues and triggers in a pinned post or Carrd).
- Block liberally. See a take that annoys you? Block. Someone being unusually hostile about something inconsequential? Block. You don't even have to interact first. If you don't feel comfortable or just simply don't want to see something, block away.
- As I said above, don't put big name fans on a pedestal. You don't have to agree with everything they say and do. They're people, not gods. You're allowed to interpret the material how you want.
- Be extremely wary about joining Discord servers that center around one person (particularly a big name fan). If a space feels off, it probably is. Trust your gut.
- If you are a minor and someone older than you tells you you're "mature for your age" or that they feel like only you can understand them, run for the hills. That probably isn't a safe adult.
- On the flip side, learning to identify safe adults will help you spot unsafe ones more easily. Here's a guide to help you learn how to be a safe adult. Here's another guide on how to identify a safe adult.
I'm not really sure how to conclude this post, but I sincerely hope people can find a safer, happier experience enjoying the things they like with like-minded friends. Discussing something you like with other people who like the thing isn't supposed to be stressful or make you feel bad.
