The notion of a “true” fan is just ridiculous. I mean what’s an “untrue” fan? Someone who isn’t a fan of something? Okay, well that’s simple, no debate there. Is it a “fair-weather” fan? So what, people are allowed to fall in and out of love with something; no vows are exchanged. Is it a “casual” fan? We’re talking about entertainment here, how serious does ones commitment need to be? Is it a “bandwagon” fan? To those people, I say welcome aboard, enjoy the ride.
A fan is a fan. To say otherwise is just ignorant. Because what’s really lost in conversations and situations when we try to create a hierarchy of fans is the topic of privilege. When qualifying factors for being a “true” fan is based on number of rewatches, details memorized, collectibles owned, cons attended, and so on, we need to acknowledge that all of those things require a certain amount of time and money to dedicate to the cause.
Not everyone has the free time to rewatch a show to the point of being able to recall every line or has the funds to attend a convention or the resources to create screen-ready cosplay. And none of those things should qualify or disqualify their identity as a fan.
Rather than turn fandom into a competition, there are game shows and trivia nights for that, we should be celebrating our mutual affection for a thing.
And ultimately, if we’re talking about TV, it’s really just the number of eyeballs watching something that keep it alive, not the level of extracurricular activities that its fans partake in that matter. “The more the merrier” should really be our rally cry.
After all, no amount of tweets, fanvids, fanfiction, think pieces, podcasts, or inspired-cosplays really matter to a network or streaming service when making renewal decisions. Do you think Blue Bloods has aired over 200 episodes because it has an engaged and vocal fanbase? No, it’s got a consistent number of viewers tuning in to CBS each week. That’s it.
If a person chooses to do more than simply watch a series, that’s their prerogative, but that doesn’t level up their fan status.
