NYT: How Pop Music Fandom Became Sports, Politics, Religion and All-Out War

[nynj nights Pronounsshe/her]

Came across this interesting article describing music fandoms in the past year. While (quietly lurking) among forums this year has been an escape from the loneliness of the pandemic, it was also saddening to see the amount of toxic negativity going on, so I am so happy to have found this welcoming community! Curious to hear if any fellow Popsters have other reactions or thoughts. 

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/25/arts/music/pop-music-superfans-stans.html

Beyoncé’s BeyHive. The BTS Army. Lady Gaga’s Little Monsters.

In 2020, loving a singer doesn’t just mean liking the music. It means tracking your favorite artist’s streaming statistics with the zeal of die-hard sports fans. It means organizing online with other fans to boost album sales. It even means raising more than $1 million for charity to match a star’s donation.

Over the past decade, social media has helped turn fandom into a 24-hour job, The Times culture reporter Joe Coscarelli writes. And unlike admirers of sprawling franchises like “Star Wars” or the Marvel universe, music fans often devote all of their efforts to a single artist or band.

That makes it a lot more personal. “You see yourself in your favorite artists — you associate with them, whether it’s just the music or it’s their personality,” one Lady Gaga fan told The Times. “So when someone insults your favorite artist, you take that as a personal insult, and then you find yourself spending hours trying to convince someone in China that ‘Born This Way’ was her best album.”

To understand how pop music fandom got here, read the rest of Joe’s article here.

 

[Gone]

The accuracy... 

[little legend]

That makes it a lot more personal. “You see yourself in your favorite artists — you associate with them, whether it’s just the music or it’s their personality,” one Lady Gaga fan told The Times. “So when someone insults your favorite artist, you take that as a personal insult, and then you find yourself spending hours trying to convince someone in China that ‘Born This Way’ was her best album.”

 

Lmao at the accuracy. Thats 100% me. The amount of times i have a fight with my friends cause they have the audacity to say something negative about Gaga

 

[Gone]

Just now, little legend said:

That makes it a lot more personal. “You see yourself in your favorite artists — you associate with them, whether it’s just the music or it’s their personality,” one Lady Gaga fan told The Times. “So when someone insults your favorite artist, you take that as a personal insult, and then you find yourself spending hours trying to convince someone in China that ‘Born This Way’ was her best album.”

 

Lmao at the accuracy. Thats 100% me. The amount of times i have a fight with my friends cause they have the audacity to say something negative about Gaga

 

Only we Gaga fans may insult her... DON'T THEY KNOW!

[blue Pronounsshe/her]

Of course a Gaga fan was the lede. I still remember when you b*ches had me unknowingly downloading an ARTPOP zip every time a new album came out from 2013 - 2016.

I've served my sentence and I'm not on stan twitter but the kids are probably alright.