The changing face of fandoms – AdNews

How does one define being a fan of something? Must you be able to name a certain number of characters in your favourite fiction series? Must you know all the words of a particular song from your favourite music artist? Must you have read all the books too, or is it okay to have only seen the film adaptations? Must you have seen your favourite music artist in concert a certain number of times? Fans once had to qualify how big a fan they were to other members of their fan communities.  Thankfully, this sort of gatekeeping is quickly giving way to a new era of fans and fandom. With technology and shifting cultural codes redefining how fans engage and learn from one another, fandoms are now, more than ever, fast growing communities that are more inclusive than exclusive, more welcoming than judgemental. To better understand these fans, their thinking, and receptiveness to brands, Twitch recently conducted a study with cultural insights and brand strategy consultancy, Crowd DNA. The result is Anatomy of Hype: Engaging fans in a new era of fandom, a report built upon the findings from expert interviews, 10 focus groups, and surveys of 12,000 fans across
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