Doctors, magic, sports, rifles, zombies, vampires, action, drama, and romance. What do these things all have in common? They all have a tie to fandom culture, an ever-growing community on the Internet and around the world. With such a vast area to explore, it is unsurprising young people in our society are becoming interested and engrossing themselves in various sections of fandom culture. This has some people concerned as to where our society is going, with so many young people spending varied amounts of time in these cultures, especially on the Internet. It is for this reason I am going to tell you fandom culture is beneficial to the youths of today’s society.

Before I begin, the four essential definitions for my thesis are fandom, culture, beneficial, and youth. “Fandom,” as defined by the urban dictionary, is a community that surrounds a television show, movie, book, etc. Members of a fandom can include people such as artists, writers, cosplayers, poets, and casual members, and a fandom will typically have message boards, social media blogs, and public pages dedicated to that particular fandom. “Culture,” as defined by Merriam Webster, is the set of values, conventions, or social practices associated with a particular field, activity, or societal characteristic. In this case for my thesis, the culture refers to the values, conventions, and social practices associated with the activity of a fandom. “Beneficial” is defined by Merriam Webster as conducive to, or tending to assist, personal or social well-being. “Youth,” for my thesis, does not refer to a specific range such as teenagers, but instead refers to a rough age range spanning ages ten to twenty-two. This is a flexible definition, as many people still take part in fandom culture, even before or after this age range.

Fandom culture has been around for many hundreds of years, spanning back most notably in history to the Roman gladiators. Fans would flock to the Coliseum to watch their preferred fighter in battle, place bets, and follow them closely, much like people do with their favorite celebrities and athletes today. While the gladiatorial fights are much more rough and brutal than the majority of fandoms today, they did follow a similar trend of closely following an activity and therein forming a sort of community around the events of the Coliseum. Apart from saloons with gambling tables, theaters, and poetry, fandoms did not much advance until roughly the late 19^th century with some revolutionizing inventions. During the late 1880s came the very first motion picture, and later in the 1920s came the invention of the television, both of which are a major part of fandom cultures today. Many people became hooked on television, and various shows were popping up starting around the 1940s to catch the attention of viewers and gain popularity and viewers in the process.

As television and movies grew in popularity, more people came together to discuss things within the variety of the new fandoms that had sprung up. Books, movies, video games, and many other forms of entertainment grew more complex and interesting such as with the additions of digital and artificial imagery in the late 1980s, and fandoms also grew enormously in size, though not always visibly seen. Around 1997 with the introduction of the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling, the fandom cultures of books, movies, comics, and games that had grown under the surface were brought to light. This in turn gave freshness and an openness to accept those who had loved and were coming to love even more of the fandoms that had been tucked to the side. People were beginning to be more accepting of the fandoms, such as Dungeons and Dragons, or Marvel and DC Comics. With the invention of the Internet, people started communicating with others who shared their interest in the fandom cultures more easily and speedily, which has led to the diversity that is fandom culture today, simply because of the new ease of accessing fandom cultures. This also brought in a growing acceptance of the fandom culture in mainstream media, book stores, and other outlets.

It is important to know about fandom culture in this day and age because of how encompassing it is for society in general. Many people have been a part of a fandom, even if they are not overly active participants, and fandom culture spreads over a wide variety of livelihoods, including business persons, secretaries, and many more. In addition, things such as television services like Netflix and Hulu and movies on demand have made accessing the fandoms of interest even easier than ever before. The Internet is full of fandom cultures that are continually growing, stores have picked up on the growing trend with their merchandise, and people express their interests openly.

With the rapid pace at which fandom culture is expanding, many people, especially parents, are concerned with how the time spent within a fandom is affecting their children or their friends. This revulsion against fandom culture has appeared in the movement to ban violent video games like Call of Duty, or other movements to ban fandom items out of the fear they have content parents deem inappropriate for their children. As people connect in to the variety of fandoms, it is important to know these connections are not necessarily detrimental to those who participate but rather something beneficial. It is also important to know because as fandom culture continually grows in society, we all must learn how to look at it appropriately and discern how it will affect our own contemporary lives, day in and day out. Since it has become a major force in society, and an enormous part of the Internet, we must know how to respond appropriately to fandom culture when faced by it.

I will confirm fandom culture is beneficial to the youths of today’s society because 1) it gives them a sense of community, as well as external interaction, and 2) it provides a sense of identity. I will also refute the counterarguments it is not beneficial because 1) there are arguments between the fandoms, 2) obsessions within any given fandom in  fandom culture creates a false reality the youths try to live in, and 3) participation in fandom culture is merely a coping mechanism for mental illness or a troubled/isolated home life.

My first argument supporting my thesis [Fandom Culture is Beneficial to the Youths of Today’s Society] is fandom culture gives a sense of community, as well as external interaction. This world is divided into all sorts of groups people fall into, based on changing preferences over time. Examples are those such as jocks and nerds, Republicans and Democrats, football teams, baseball teams, iPhone or Android, Adidas or Nike, Coke or Pepsi, and the list continues on ad nauseum. In the craziness of picking a side to stand on, especially with purchase choices or political choices, many young people can feel lost and insecure, unsure of where they should stand in life. This is especially true as they grow up and move on, leaving the security of their familiar homes to go to college or to work in a job.

Many of the sides are in competition for the attention of the youths as well, continually fighting for the upper hand to get themselves promoted while pushing their competitors under. Social groups are slightly different in that one has to be accepted into the social circle and then follow the “rules” of that circle. The social circles can be vicious and are most often the stumbling block of the youths, as kids try to fit in with one group or another. With each social choice comes a set of standards for the group, and some youths struggle with fitting in to these standards. That is where fandom culture gives another option for those who are seeking identity and belonging, yet do not, cannot, or prefer not to follow all the rules of a generic social circle defined mainly by age or an economic class. Like a community, a fandom culture also provides external interaction for the members to enjoy.

Much like football fans receive enjoyment from time invested in a mutual interest, fellowship, and fun with other football fans, so too do fandom culture members receive enjoyment with other members of their respective fandoms. They can find this enjoyment in multiple forms, such as board gaming nights at a local comic book shop, stores with the offered merchandise representing their fandom, online in the discussion rooms and pages dedicated to the fandoms, and with nearby conventions that provide interaction, more merchandise, and multiple chances to mingle with the other members of their own fandom and others. These conventions and stores provide some interaction outside of just a computer or television screen and allow for people to bond in person as well. The benefits from this external interaction tie in closely with the sense of community and keep the members from feeling isolated to just a singular method of interaction.

The point of fandom culture is, in essence, to have an outlet or means of people who are interested in mutual topics, television show, comic book series, or many other things, to gather together and discuss their respective fandoms among the members. This communal sense found in the culture can appear in many forms, which vary for each independent fandom. For a music fan, there are the concerts of their favorite bands, a television fan can visit panels at conventions, and a sports fan could go to any number of the games of their preferred sport that are going on across the country. But even something as simple as a podcast by their favorite YouTuber, can bring a means of community through an external outlet, wherein a listener doesn’t have to travel to another city or spend money on tickets to enjoy it. Each outlet allows for more interactions throughout the community and enables each of the members to communicate more directly with each other.

While these fandoms and their outlets can vary greatly from each individual section of fandom culture, the members have no specific rule set for the generic fandom. This means for each part of that fandom, no standards for entry exist, no specific requirements to follow, and no vicious cycle to try and please in order for fandom members to maintain their own status within the fandom. Whereas they might be shunned or rejected for liking something, such as comic books or a movie series in other social circles, they could find acceptance within a fandom of their interest. An example of this would be with many people, who are a part of the fandoms that had books to start with, and then were made into movies. While some people have only read the books, or seen the movies, some have accomplished both, and are willing to mediate and converse between both sides.

My second point confirming my thesis is fandom culture is beneficial because it provides a sense of identity. The interests and discussion of said interests of the individual fandoms give a sense of identity, in which people can come together over a mutual topic, without rejection or fear of not fitting in. This is very much akin to the “identification system” in high school, in which one can place one’s identity with a group, such as a jock, or even in the business world, where one’s job title is a part of one’s identity. People typically can benefit from the sense of identity they can find themselves in, whether it is in a church, a school body, a neighborhood community, or a friendly workplace, and fandom culture is another place where fellowship can quickly and easily occur. Some of the benefits are the ability to share ideas, feelings, hurts and comfort between colleagues who hold similar views or beliefs because of this identification within the group. Friendships can be formed over a similar interest, both on and offline, and people who are within fandom culture benefit from the added sense of identified community within fandoms. This continues to benefit each of the individuals while they are within fandom culture, and the other members as well.

While people are trying to find identification among several brands or social groups, fandom culture has given an extra option for an identity that doesn’t have to fall under a great burden of continual upkeep. With each part of fandom culture, people can keep a title of a fandom member, such as a “Whovian” for a Doctor Who fan, or a “Potterhead” for a Harry Potter fan, without heavy maintenance. As mentioned before, there is no set of rules for the members to follow, and allows for a part of that identification in the fandom to stay with that person for as long as they consider themselves as one. The identity helps the members to find a solid point of ground to stand on, even as others try to find stable identification on other things in society that are continually changing, or are requiring rigorous upkeep.

My first counterargument I will refute states fandoms are detrimental because there are arguments between the fandoms. Within fandoms, there are always people who won’t get along with one another, whether it’s over characters, storylines, or any other number of things pertaining to their fandom. But this is not a very common occurrence people will openly state within fandoms, and in truth, these arguments are not truly arguments but rather instead discussions over the topics at hand. Any of the “arguments,” such as over characters or plot lines, typically fall within the same fandom and do not affect other fandoms nearly as much, if at all. In fact, many of the fandoms have joined together with other fandoms to form a type of “super-fandom,” with members of these fandoms being a part of each individual fandom as well. An example of this would be the “SuperWhoLock” fandom, which has combined three television shows, Supernatural, Doctor Who, and BBC’s Sherlock, into a condensed form in which fans of all three shows can come together and share their ideas, artwork, poems, and more. However, if a rare argument should break out between two or more fandoms, it is usually small and does not concern but a few people who have started up the arguing.

This can also happen in other areas of life, such as the workplace over ideas, in sports over a team preference, and in political debates for choosing a presidential candidate that could best for the role. These arguments are due to a personal dislike or preference certain people have, and only a few will actually cause trouble because of that personal taste. This is an uncontrollable factor with fandoms, as well as with life, provided people cannot control the words or opinions of other people. However, the members within fandoms work diligently to try and keep any heated discussions down to a minimum or to diffuse the situation calmly. The vast majority of the fandom members have a heavy interest in keeping fandom culture a peaceful and safe place for people to meet and discuss topics, especially for those who are new to the fandom or those who have barely become members of that fandom.

In addition, the idea stating fandom arguments detracts from the benefits fandom culture does not seem to include that not everyone gets along with all people anyways.  People argue consistently over things such as card games, food preference, pets, and many other things that don’t even pertain to fandom culture. This kept in mind, it is almost guaranteed there will be those with arguments and distaste for some people who will transfer over in part over to fandom culture. This adds to the normalcy of fandom culture, as it does reflect how people act and how life really is. However, it still allows for expression of diversity both in experiences from the fandom members or their attitudes over certain topics.

The second counterargument against fandom culture being beneficial states obsessions with any given fandom in fandom culture create false realities the youths attempt to live in. Obsession is defined as a state in which someone thinks about someone or something constantly or frequently, especially in a way that is not normal (Merriam-Webster). The thought of an obsession with something creating a fake reality is a strange argument, considering a fictional world in and of itself, whether it is a book, movie, or comic series, creates a sort of “secondary reality” to begin with. We do not criticize authors for writing fictional works in other lands of their own creation, or a film director for spending lots of time working out every detail of a script of a fantasy film but instead embrace them as a part of their respective genres. The obsessions people claim to have, or claim others have, are most often not actually textbook obsessions, rather instead they are interests that only last for a few months, maybe more.

Admittedly, a true obsession, such as becoming overly attached to characters and creating continual habits to spend copious amounts of time and/or money with said characters, could be a destructive pattern to an individual’s lifestyle, and this thesis is not said to advocate abandoning a healthy lifestyle to partake in Netflix binge watching all day; however, many people do not form a true obsession over something in a short period of time, such as the time it takes to watch a few episodes of a show, or the runtime of a movie. People within fandom culture have the ability to come in and out of fandoms at will, can take or lose interest in them, and can leave at any time of their choosing, though many stick around for quite some time. This is not the definition of obsession, as written by Merriam-Webster, but instead leaning more toward a hobby or an interest one can partake in. Those people who do form obsessions in a destructive manner to their lifestyles are so few and far between they are statistical outliers and should not be included in as such a heavy factor to the whole of fandom culture.

The final counterargument I will refute is fandom culture is merely a coping mechanism for mental illnesses or an isolated or troubled life. While it is true fandom culture is an all-accepting medium for people from all walks of life, this does not mean fandoms create a coping mechanism to merely ignore the problem. Many people can and do come to fandoms with their problems, where they can speak freely about them with people who don’t know them personally. This does not mean the person who has these problems only uses other people within their fandoms as a coping structure as typically seen in a negative light but instead as support and positivity. People have expressed they cannot or would rather not go to someone in person, but instead have a medium in which they are not personally known and have no outside connection, such as the Internet. Fandom culture creates a place where they can put out their problems to the other members and receive positive feedback for their issues.

This does not mean a fandom creates a singular method of coping; rather, it offers people a neutral venue, with no bias for or against said individuals personally such as in a chat room, to give a second opinion about what they are feeling and how to help them. It is highly similar to seeing a therapist, however it is without the walls of a room, pressure to say or do something correctly, fear of saying something wrong or misleading, and the uncomfortable feeling of having someone press you for the answers to his questions. It also creates a more positive press with gentle encouragement from the neutral party to the individuals seeking help to find help in other ways outside of themselves as well. Fandom culture is a big community, and all of the members help each other because they want to make sure the enjoyment in the fandom is positive, and this is a way the fandom culture members can lift each other up and get others the help they need.

As I have shown, fandom culture is indeed beneficial to those members who participate within the parameters of the culture. This has been proved by showing the benefits from the sense of community and interactions and the sense of identity that belonging to a fandom culture offers to its members. Fandom culture has also been proved to be beneficial by disproving it is not merely a coping method for those with troubled lives, nor the arguments fandoms have between each other are destructive, nor the supposed obsessions with fandom culture create a secondary reality for people to live in. We can accept fandom culture as beneficial into society, not as something detrimental to our youth, and allow people to explore the culture to find out more about who they are as people in society without the hassle and pressure of a social group.