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Superfandom: Como nossas obsessões estão mudando o que compramos e quem somos
Graças às redes sociais e aos novos aparatos da era digital, os fãs deixaram de ser encarados como seres extravagantes ou meros consumidores para se transformarem em poderosos formadores de opinião. As campanhas e os eventos que os Fandoms organizam são capazes de assegurar o sucesso ou de condenar ao fracasso tanto produtos quanto empresas, pois assim como um boicote pode destruir um projeto milionário, um buyout pode catapultar um produto até a estratosfera.
Ninguém ignora que os fãs são capazes de feitos espetaculares na ânsia de externar o seu amor pelos ídolos de carne e osso ou mesmo os abstratos, como os heróis literários ou cinematográficos. Mas os fãs reunidos nos Fandoms, que cultuam não apenas pessoas ou personagens como também marcas, produtos, parques temáticos, franquias cinematográficas, séries televisivas e uma infinidade de outros objetos de desejo, são capazes de proezas verdadeiramente inacreditáveis. Façanhas como as de forçar uma poderosa multinacional a rever seus métodos de produção, para adotar políticas sustentáveis e deixar de explorar o trabalho infantil e pagar salários aviltantes aos seus funcionários. Fandoms também são capazes de "ressuscitar" produtos há muito descontinuados, como a Coca-Cola Company fez com o refrigerante Surge, ou as câmaras e filmes instantâneos Polaroid em plena era da imagem digital que deveria ter condenado o processo ao sepultamento inescapável.
Em Superfandom, Zoe Fraade-Blanar e Aaron M. Glazer efetuam uma brilhante síntese histórica, sociológica e psicológica do mundo dos fãs, analisando com profundidade e bom humor uma série de casos reveladores da atual economia dominada pela cultura dos Fandoms. Assim, se impõe como o guia perfeito para quem deseja saber de onde viemos, quem somos e para onde vamos no mundo dos negócios da era digital.
Ninguém ignora que os fãs são capazes de feitos espetaculares na ânsia de externar o seu amor pelos ídolos de carne e osso ou mesmo os abstratos, como os heróis literários ou cinematográficos. Mas os fãs reunidos nos Fandoms, que cultuam não apenas pessoas ou personagens como também marcas, produtos, parques temáticos, franquias cinematográficas, séries televisivas e uma infinidade de outros objetos de desejo, são capazes de proezas verdadeiramente inacreditáveis. Façanhas como as de forçar uma poderosa multinacional a rever seus métodos de produção, para adotar políticas sustentáveis e deixar de explorar o trabalho infantil e pagar salários aviltantes aos seus funcionários. Fandoms também são capazes de "ressuscitar" produtos há muito descontinuados, como a Coca-Cola Company fez com o refrigerante Surge, ou as câmaras e filmes instantâneos Polaroid em plena era da imagem digital que deveria ter condenado o processo ao sepultamento inescapável.
Em Superfandom, Zoe Fraade-Blanar e Aaron M. Glazer efetuam uma brilhante síntese histórica, sociológica e psicológica do mundo dos fãs, analisando com profundidade e bom humor uma série de casos reveladores da atual economia dominada pela cultura dos Fandoms. Assim, se impõe como o guia perfeito para quem deseja saber de onde viemos, quem somos e para onde vamos no mundo dos negócios da era digital.
355 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 21, 2017
24 people are currently reading
779 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 49 reviews
January 11, 2021
DNF @ 17%
Note: an eARC of this book was acquired via NetGalley.
The cover, title, and summary of Superfandom grabbed me - what's not to love about an in-depth analysis of how fandom both effects its fans and affects the properties they love? But this book gets lost somewhere in the middle of trying to pander to both pop-culture junkies AND "business & investing" readers. From a general nonfiction standpoint, the introduction and first chapter were a slow bore to get through - with disjointed sections and no discerning thesis - and the preface just prompted a question of "...and what is the relevance of this???" From a business standpoint, where were the statistics or footnotes or anything else that would make this more of a subject read? (Did I just not make it that far? Does Superfandom redeem itself??)
Note: an eARC of this book was acquired via NetGalley.
The cover, title, and summary of Superfandom grabbed me - what's not to love about an in-depth analysis of how fandom both effects its fans and affects the properties they love? But this book gets lost somewhere in the middle of trying to pander to both pop-culture junkies AND "business & investing" readers. From a general nonfiction standpoint, the introduction and first chapter were a slow bore to get through - with disjointed sections and no discerning thesis - and the preface just prompted a question of "...and what is the relevance of this???" From a business standpoint, where were the statistics or footnotes or anything else that would make this more of a subject read? (Did I just not make it that far? Does Superfandom redeem itself??)
March 27, 2017
‘When fans revolt, it’s not pretty.’
Co-author Zoe Fraade-Blanar, a faculty member of New York University’s Interactive Telecommunications Program (ITP) and NYU Journalism, a cofounder and the CCO of the crowdsourced toy company Squishable. Her co-author/journalist Aaron M. Glazer is the other cofounder and is the CEO of Squishable. Together they have written a book we may at first not want to read as it makes us all seem like nerdy consumers, but dive in for an hilarious (and informative) ride.
In the opening ‘Welcome to the Fandom Singularity’, the concept of the title of the book is defined: ‘Fandom refers to the structures and practices that form around piece of popular culture. It’s a very old, very human phenomenon; acting in a fanlike way is probably as ancient as the culture itself….It’s easy to attribute the modern explosion in fandom to the increased connectivity of a tech-savvy audience. In terms of scale this is certainly true. But fandom is predigital. It’s also prephonograph. It’s even preliteracy…The modern term ‘fan object’ is what we now call these centers of emotion and activity, pieces of culture that inspire both loyalty, and, more importantly, activity…Modern marketing has stumbled upon the benefits of fandom, not for fans’ ability to create worlds, but for their predictable buying habits. “Get the fans excited, and maybe they’ll also give you money,’ so goes the wisdom…At the moment, fan objects and their fans still occupy two distinct roles within the world of consumption. There are makers, and there are buyers. The two rarely overlap. But as audience experience shifts away from mere consumption of a fan text and toward influencing, or even adding to it, the space between the audience and the fan object is narrowing…We are entering a period of convergence, of fandom singularity, where the distinction blurs between fans and fan object, between who is the creator and who is the consumer…’
As the authors state in the synopsis – ‘As fandom sheds its longtime stigmas of geekiness and hysteria, fans are demanding more from the celebrities and brands they love. Digital tools have given all organizations--from traditional businesses to tech startups-- direct, real-time access to their most devoted consumers, and it's easy to forget that this access flows both ways. This is the new "fandom-based economy": a convergence of brand owner and brand consumer. Fan pressures hold more clout than ever before as they demand a say in shaping the future of the things they love. Sometimes it works. Sometimes it doesn't.’
Yes, the concept of mind manipulation is frightening and yes, it is possible that we all are falling into this arena of silliness (look what we did with the presidential elections this year and how that is playing out….). But read this book cover to cover and understand what we are doing and perhaps we can alter the future of consumerism. This is recommended reading for everyone.
Co-author Zoe Fraade-Blanar, a faculty member of New York University’s Interactive Telecommunications Program (ITP) and NYU Journalism, a cofounder and the CCO of the crowdsourced toy company Squishable. Her co-author/journalist Aaron M. Glazer is the other cofounder and is the CEO of Squishable. Together they have written a book we may at first not want to read as it makes us all seem like nerdy consumers, but dive in for an hilarious (and informative) ride.
In the opening ‘Welcome to the Fandom Singularity’, the concept of the title of the book is defined: ‘Fandom refers to the structures and practices that form around piece of popular culture. It’s a very old, very human phenomenon; acting in a fanlike way is probably as ancient as the culture itself….It’s easy to attribute the modern explosion in fandom to the increased connectivity of a tech-savvy audience. In terms of scale this is certainly true. But fandom is predigital. It’s also prephonograph. It’s even preliteracy…The modern term ‘fan object’ is what we now call these centers of emotion and activity, pieces of culture that inspire both loyalty, and, more importantly, activity…Modern marketing has stumbled upon the benefits of fandom, not for fans’ ability to create worlds, but for their predictable buying habits. “Get the fans excited, and maybe they’ll also give you money,’ so goes the wisdom…At the moment, fan objects and their fans still occupy two distinct roles within the world of consumption. There are makers, and there are buyers. The two rarely overlap. But as audience experience shifts away from mere consumption of a fan text and toward influencing, or even adding to it, the space between the audience and the fan object is narrowing…We are entering a period of convergence, of fandom singularity, where the distinction blurs between fans and fan object, between who is the creator and who is the consumer…’
As the authors state in the synopsis – ‘As fandom sheds its longtime stigmas of geekiness and hysteria, fans are demanding more from the celebrities and brands they love. Digital tools have given all organizations--from traditional businesses to tech startups-- direct, real-time access to their most devoted consumers, and it's easy to forget that this access flows both ways. This is the new "fandom-based economy": a convergence of brand owner and brand consumer. Fan pressures hold more clout than ever before as they demand a say in shaping the future of the things they love. Sometimes it works. Sometimes it doesn't.’
Yes, the concept of mind manipulation is frightening and yes, it is possible that we all are falling into this arena of silliness (look what we did with the presidential elections this year and how that is playing out….). But read this book cover to cover and understand what we are doing and perhaps we can alter the future of consumerism. This is recommended reading for everyone.
June 18, 2019
I didn’t like it, mostly because I was expecting a book about fandom and how it has evolved, and the vagrancies of collectively shifting taste and how surprising that can be. There’s literally one line about how superhero shirts were once the mark of the incurably uncool, but now they’re in! And I was like “I think that’s flattening the multi-billion-dollar merchandising game superhero movies have become and how few of us could’ve predicted that, let alone that it’d be Iron Man who kicked that off.”
It’s more a how-to for if you are a brand owner and find yourself with a fandom: when and how to listen, when you can safely ignore them, when to act contrite. “Fandom” And “fan” in the book are used pretty broadly; “target customer” seems to be a more accurate description. “So You’ve Gone Viral” might be a good subtitle.
In spite of being more of a business book than a sociological one, it talks very little about practical social media management, which I found odd. The author references managing her own social media page (she runs a company that makes latter-day Beanie Babies, essentially) and some examples of a company blundering and there being social media backlash, but very little useful advice.
And I know, review the book you read not the book you wanted, but in a book about fandom I *really* wanted some time devoted to Bronies: how the reboot of a TV show (invented to sell toys to young girls, hoping to sell more toys to a new generation of young girls) found a totally unexpected audience in teenaged boys and adult men. I wanted to know more about when Hasbro realized this unexpected audience, and more importantly realized grown men had more income to spend on toys than 6-year-old girls. I wanted to know about how Hasbro balanced pleasing these two disparate groups of fans (the Bronies being ten times more vocal than the original intended audience), how it dealt with the weirder parts of Brony fandom (grown men flooding MLP social media tags and sites with drawn porn of cartoon ponies, for example), and what lessons can be taken from this. Nary a mention.
Anyway, unless you’ve never actually been in a fandom but still want those sweet sweet fandom bucks for your product, this one is a waste of time.
Ps - did anyone else clock fanfiction.net being mentioned in a book published in 2017? I’m on the periphery of fandom and even I know everybody uses and has used Archive of Our Own for a while now, deriding fanfiction.net as a dinosaur.
It’s more a how-to for if you are a brand owner and find yourself with a fandom: when and how to listen, when you can safely ignore them, when to act contrite. “Fandom” And “fan” in the book are used pretty broadly; “target customer” seems to be a more accurate description. “So You’ve Gone Viral” might be a good subtitle.
In spite of being more of a business book than a sociological one, it talks very little about practical social media management, which I found odd. The author references managing her own social media page (she runs a company that makes latter-day Beanie Babies, essentially) and some examples of a company blundering and there being social media backlash, but very little useful advice.
And I know, review the book you read not the book you wanted, but in a book about fandom I *really* wanted some time devoted to Bronies: how the reboot of a TV show (invented to sell toys to young girls, hoping to sell more toys to a new generation of young girls) found a totally unexpected audience in teenaged boys and adult men. I wanted to know more about when Hasbro realized this unexpected audience, and more importantly realized grown men had more income to spend on toys than 6-year-old girls. I wanted to know about how Hasbro balanced pleasing these two disparate groups of fans (the Bronies being ten times more vocal than the original intended audience), how it dealt with the weirder parts of Brony fandom (grown men flooding MLP social media tags and sites with drawn porn of cartoon ponies, for example), and what lessons can be taken from this. Nary a mention.
Anyway, unless you’ve never actually been in a fandom but still want those sweet sweet fandom bucks for your product, this one is a waste of time.
Ps - did anyone else clock fanfiction.net being mentioned in a book published in 2017? I’m on the periphery of fandom and even I know everybody uses and has used Archive of Our Own for a while now, deriding fanfiction.net as a dinosaur.
August 11, 2017
An industry/marketing/ promotional culture perspective on fandom. Found the first 2/3 of the book to be really insightful in how brands and companies now have a better understanding of fans, and how fans form and develop relationships with the text/product and the formation of fandom. In the last third of the book I found certain arguments to be over generalizations about fans and fandom. What I found helpful in this book was how fandom works in other contexts. Because my research is specifically looking at the progressive aspects of comic book fandom and online communities, I haven't considered how fandom works in other contexts such as branding. Because this book uses many different case studies as examples, it was a good reminder that fandom exists lively and strongly outside of a geek culture context.
Overall, I found this book to be easy to read, and therefore will be accessible for those outside of a academics. It does a decent job of explaining the basic intricacies of fandom and fan culture, but this is indeed more of a marketing perspective on fandom. If you work in marketing, branding and/or advertising, this would be a good book to read in order to understand the dynamics of fandom and why fans play a significance role to a product (media or otherwise).
Please note: I am an MA student and I read this as part of my literature review. This was a first reading, and as my research continues, I may return for a closer reading of this book.
Overall, I found this book to be easy to read, and therefore will be accessible for those outside of a academics. It does a decent job of explaining the basic intricacies of fandom and fan culture, but this is indeed more of a marketing perspective on fandom. If you work in marketing, branding and/or advertising, this would be a good book to read in order to understand the dynamics of fandom and why fans play a significance role to a product (media or otherwise).
Please note: I am an MA student and I read this as part of my literature review. This was a first reading, and as my research continues, I may return for a closer reading of this book.
October 27, 2019
Esse livro é muito interessante e importante para se perceber as diversas matizes que alcança o consumo de fãs e a cultura de fãs, mas o destaque que ele dá é principalmente no consumo. Ele tem o pecado de vários livros nesse estilo de relato americano de jornalismo: contar anedotas demais que, se retiradas, poderiam enxugar o livro em dois terços. É um estilo de escrita de não-ficção que pode agradar muita gente, mas não a mim. Contudo, é através desse estilo que encontramos a justificativa para o subtítulo do livro "como nossas obsessões estão mudando o que compramos e quem somos", já que é a partir dessas histórias contadas pelos autores que compreendemos o funcionamento do consumo de fãs numa base mais natural. O livro traz boas definições para os conceitos que atravessam as relações entre os fãs e os objetos que personificam esse tipo de culto moderno. Traz várias explicações de como nos apossamos de um determinado elemento da indústria cultural e o transformamos em algo "nosso", mesmo que aquilo seja pertencente a grandes conglomerados empresariais, tão forte é a relação que estabelecemos com esse tipo de narrativa/storytelling.
April 15, 2017
If you mean to understand the appeal of why things take off, this is a good book to have alongside Hit Makers by Derek Thompson.
April 10, 2024
I wanted to love this one. Maybe I don't because it didn't feature any of the myriad fandoms of which I've been a member. There were no groundbreaking theories here. Guess it serves me right for leaving this one under my bed in the to-read pile for SEVEN years that everything is completely outdated in this current world where fandoms have ADHD and a lifespan of about 2.7 weeks.
May 16, 2017
This title caught my eye on the library shelf. I'm in an industry where we have our share of super fans and thought a book about the psychology therein would be a valuable addition to my role. Unfortunately, even though it seemed well researched, you could only really tell by the prodigious notes section in the back of the book, nothing in footnotes throughout. For a 2017 released book, the information felt dated as it was often several years old. In a more seriously academic book, I would take that with a grain of salt as studies take a long time to pull together but the things referenced in this book were scandals and conferences and that which could have pointed to more recent examples. Furthermore, a point would be made or an anecdote told and then the chapter would sharply veer into other territory before trying to come back to the original point with very little clue how you were getting between topics. Interesting concept, poor implementation.
March 24, 2017
Such a fun book! If you've ever been part of a fandom, you'll see a lot of yourself in the stories of various fans and how companies deal with them (some more successfully than others). I liked learning about fandoms I knew nothing about, and it was interesting to see fandoms' commonalities.
November 18, 2020
Basically a book on superfans and fandom looked at through a consumerist lens. The recounting and analysis of events the authors explored throughout history that concerned superfans were interesting but felt disjointed for the most part. Was a bit like a mini marketing class which isn't really useful for me but fun to learn regardless.
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April 6, 2017A good read about nerd culture and commercialism. Offers discussion of Joss Whedon, Wizard Activism, Cards Against Humanity, and Tennessee bourbon brands. Are fans just consumers? How do marketing teams successfully deal with fan backlash? What do fans really want from their fan objects? This book doesn't really answer these questions, but gives thought provoking examples of fan involvement in the communities created around things people love.
May 10, 2017
I know I'm biased because I'm a huge Squishable fan to start with, but I freaking loved this book. Some people might not think it's academic enough, but I thought it delved deeply enough into overall theories and concepts that I felt like I was learning a lot while still being entertained. I loved all of the descriptions of different real-life fandoms, especially since they felt like shout-outs when they were ones I belong to.
Basically, I thought it was the perfect balance of entertaining and informative. I really need to get other people to read this book so I can discuss it with them!
Basically, I thought it was the perfect balance of entertaining and informative. I really need to get other people to read this book so I can discuss it with them!
February 13, 2018
I was excited by the concept of this book but disappointed by the execution. I think I should have paid closer attention to the title. There's a big emphasis on the "What We Buy" part, but not "Who We Are".
Fandom is one of the messiest topics I can think of, but everything about this book felt neat, clean, and pre-packaged. It was strange to read. It's written from a marketing standpoint, not a sociological standpoint (so don't be fooled by the "Who We Are" tagline).
I like informative non-fiction, but you need a good storyteller to facts from being dry. This should have had a better storyteller on consultation.
Fandom is one of the messiest topics I can think of, but everything about this book felt neat, clean, and pre-packaged. It was strange to read. It's written from a marketing standpoint, not a sociological standpoint (so don't be fooled by the "Who We Are" tagline).
I like informative non-fiction, but you need a good storyteller to facts from being dry. This should have had a better storyteller on consultation.
July 25, 2019
I have enjoyed every second of reading this book (not sure why it doesn't have a better score...) and I feel like I learned a lot of anecdotes and also expanded my definition of what fandom or fan object is. Especially liked the final "Fandom Goes Wrong" chapter, as fandom so often does. And can't help but think that if this book was published a few months later it would've included mentions of The 100, both god and bad, and it would've been interesting to have the author analyze that.
May 4, 2020
Could have done with 100 less pages discussing the Disney club
May 8, 2017
When I first picked this up, I thought it'd be a meditation on what it means to be within a superfandom (such as SuperWhoLock on tumblr, as the kids say). The subtitle should've clued me in: this is actually about how fandoms and identity with them influence our consumption.
Which is not necessarily a bad thing, nor is it new: after the prologue vignette of the authors' own experience with their company Squishable during a virtual Facebook party on the night Hurricane Sandy rolled into town, the first chapter opens on musicophilia/Lizstomania that hit Western civilization in the mid-1800s. Fans, regardless of purchasing power, obsessed by stalking outside musicians' homes, collecting ticket stubs, bribing house staff to actually *enter* some of those said homes. The second chapter begins with Berkshire Hathaway's annual stockholder's meeting, which has become a capitalist comic-con around the Oracle of Omaha and the promise of wealth by association (an aside: my grandparents went once and totally bought a mattress from the furniture store mentioned).
What *has* changed is the relationship between consumers and producers. A small but vocal minority can angrily clog Makers' Mark's feeds after a lower proof to meet increased demand is announced. An organized facebook group can raise money to buy a billboard outside Coca Cola's Atlanta headquarters begging for the return of Surge. Fan consumption doesn't even necessarily have to be a physical good- the experience economy means that Kickstarters can offer one-on-one skype sessions or game nights at a high donation tier and people will pay for the rare experience. Patreon has arisen as a way for fans to support content creators without fussing with physical goods (and although a new website, is in some ways a throwback to literal patrons of the Renaissance except instead of one wealthy donor, it's lots of smaller ones that buy into ownership).
I suspect this was written for people who read business books, as they authors took care to define fan terms and explain things like Cards Against Humanity antics (a whole chapter, actually, in how corporate ethos does not equal corporate values. CAH cares about their customers and will fix the problem first, and THEN rib you because that is their brand). Definitely an interesting read for those within fan communities (the authors do talk about in-group feelings from being part of a fandom), and a read for anyone who's curious about how capitalism influences the culture (or is influenced by).
Which is not necessarily a bad thing, nor is it new: after the prologue vignette of the authors' own experience with their company Squishable during a virtual Facebook party on the night Hurricane Sandy rolled into town, the first chapter opens on musicophilia/Lizstomania that hit Western civilization in the mid-1800s. Fans, regardless of purchasing power, obsessed by stalking outside musicians' homes, collecting ticket stubs, bribing house staff to actually *enter* some of those said homes. The second chapter begins with Berkshire Hathaway's annual stockholder's meeting, which has become a capitalist comic-con around the Oracle of Omaha and the promise of wealth by association (an aside: my grandparents went once and totally bought a mattress from the furniture store mentioned).
What *has* changed is the relationship between consumers and producers. A small but vocal minority can angrily clog Makers' Mark's feeds after a lower proof to meet increased demand is announced. An organized facebook group can raise money to buy a billboard outside Coca Cola's Atlanta headquarters begging for the return of Surge. Fan consumption doesn't even necessarily have to be a physical good- the experience economy means that Kickstarters can offer one-on-one skype sessions or game nights at a high donation tier and people will pay for the rare experience. Patreon has arisen as a way for fans to support content creators without fussing with physical goods (and although a new website, is in some ways a throwback to literal patrons of the Renaissance except instead of one wealthy donor, it's lots of smaller ones that buy into ownership).
I suspect this was written for people who read business books, as they authors took care to define fan terms and explain things like Cards Against Humanity antics (a whole chapter, actually, in how corporate ethos does not equal corporate values. CAH cares about their customers and will fix the problem first, and THEN rib you because that is their brand). Definitely an interesting read for those within fan communities (the authors do talk about in-group feelings from being part of a fandom), and a read for anyone who's curious about how capitalism influences the culture (or is influenced by).
July 8, 2018
If anyone considers themselves part of a fandom, or a fan of something, or works for a company that has a huge fanbase or is looking to creating a fanbase, I think they should read this book. It gives a great in depth analysis of fans and why they are necessary for a business to survive. The book covers many topics, like what makes up a fan, why fans get attached to a fan object, how fans are different from consumers, how fans interact with one another, how businesses navigate their relationships with fans, and of course how fans influence businesses.
I consider myself a fan of many different fan objects, so reading this book made me learn more about myself on top of more about something that I 'm interested in, fandoms. While this book doesn't cover every fandom (that would be impossible) the authors were able to find good examples to go along with the ideas they were trying to get across. From this book I learned about fandoms I didn't even realize existed, like fandoms for the drink Surge, people who like the Renaissance Fair, and polaroids. While it might seem obvious once you think about it, these have never crossed my mind as fandoms before.
Both of the authors work for a stuffed animal company called Squishables. These stuffed animals also have a fandom. The authors wrote about their experience with fans while working at Squishable (both good and bad), so it was interesting getting a business perspective on fans. I enjoyed these parts of the book the most because it felt sincere. Here were two business people who work for a business that has a fanbase, and this is how they feel about it. As a fan I do think it is important to somewhat understand what goes on behind the scenes of what we fan about.
It's important to note that not every fandom is analyzed in this book. That isn't its purpose. The purpose is to show how businesses and fans interact. How businesses can either thrive or die because of their fans. This is why I think this book is also necessary for business people to read. The most successful businesses have a huge, dedicated fanbase. This book will somewhat help you understand fans and learn how to cultivate a fanbase.
Also, a side note for people who like to know the page numbers of books, this one (going by the hardcover version) is really only 255 pages long. The next 50ish pages are just sources and the index.
I consider myself a fan of many different fan objects, so reading this book made me learn more about myself on top of more about something that I 'm interested in, fandoms. While this book doesn't cover every fandom (that would be impossible) the authors were able to find good examples to go along with the ideas they were trying to get across. From this book I learned about fandoms I didn't even realize existed, like fandoms for the drink Surge, people who like the Renaissance Fair, and polaroids. While it might seem obvious once you think about it, these have never crossed my mind as fandoms before.
Both of the authors work for a stuffed animal company called Squishables. These stuffed animals also have a fandom. The authors wrote about their experience with fans while working at Squishable (both good and bad), so it was interesting getting a business perspective on fans. I enjoyed these parts of the book the most because it felt sincere. Here were two business people who work for a business that has a fanbase, and this is how they feel about it. As a fan I do think it is important to somewhat understand what goes on behind the scenes of what we fan about.
It's important to note that not every fandom is analyzed in this book. That isn't its purpose. The purpose is to show how businesses and fans interact. How businesses can either thrive or die because of their fans. This is why I think this book is also necessary for business people to read. The most successful businesses have a huge, dedicated fanbase. This book will somewhat help you understand fans and learn how to cultivate a fanbase.
Also, a side note for people who like to know the page numbers of books, this one (going by the hardcover version) is really only 255 pages long. The next 50ish pages are just sources and the index.
October 29, 2017
Heard about this book a few years ago, remember it after the tantrum thrown by Rick and Morty fans over a McDonald's promotion.
An overview of the idea of what it means to be a fan of something today and the relationship between the fans and the thing/creators of the thing they're a fan of (what the authors call fan objects). While I think of people who're really into some pop culture product, the ground covered here also includes Berkshire Hathaway shareholder meetings, Polaroid cameras, professional wrestling, and the Burning Man festival.
Fans are devoted to fan objects but also become devoted to the fan community. The creators of fan objects can leverage the strength of fandom (discussed in a look at a brand convention in Las Vegas) but fandom isn't infinite or unconditional and can resist their exploitation or creators' attempts to control it (the backlash when a company cracks down on derivative works, cynicism at social media campaigns, etc)
Pretty easy read, organized into easily digestible chapters. Overall it's all kind of depressing though. Traditional institutions and communities have decayed in the information age. Are politics and being really into a certain TV show gonna fill the entire vacuum?
An overview of the idea of what it means to be a fan of something today and the relationship between the fans and the thing/creators of the thing they're a fan of (what the authors call fan objects). While I think of people who're really into some pop culture product, the ground covered here also includes Berkshire Hathaway shareholder meetings, Polaroid cameras, professional wrestling, and the Burning Man festival.
Fans are devoted to fan objects but also become devoted to the fan community. The creators of fan objects can leverage the strength of fandom (discussed in a look at a brand convention in Las Vegas) but fandom isn't infinite or unconditional and can resist their exploitation or creators' attempts to control it (the backlash when a company cracks down on derivative works, cynicism at social media campaigns, etc)
Pretty easy read, organized into easily digestible chapters. Overall it's all kind of depressing though. Traditional institutions and communities have decayed in the information age. Are politics and being really into a certain TV show gonna fill the entire vacuum?
April 24, 2020
序/ III
引言 得粉丝者得天下/ XIII
第一章 缔造粉丝参与感 / 001
粉丝并非指某个人是什么，而是指他做了什么，其价值在于参与式体验。在消费者当中培养粉丝最有效的方法，是鼓励受众参与活动，最好是参与那些与纯粹的商品消费无关的活动。在这些活动中，他们会视自己为更大群体中的一分子，所以这些粉丝活动是粉丝迷恋的中流砥柱。
第二章 创建粉丝语境 / 033
语境是一种围绕粉丝对象的“附加之物”，赋予粉丝对象超越商业实体的性质。关于粉丝对象的传闻、内部辩论、与之相关的社交媒体帖子、为之创作的或与之相关的内容、围绕它开发的仪式和专业词语、朝圣之旅以及旅行后的相关谈论与记录，所有这些都是粉丝语境。这种语境像一种黏合剂，把粉丝黏合在一起。
第三章 关注粉丝的个性表达 / 067
粉丝已经不再是渴望一个远离主流世界的安全空间，而是更多地关注个性表达。“例外主义”传递了一个宝贵的信息：在某个发展阶段，当我们对社会生活、未来前途甚至自己的身体感到无能为力时，控制、接受以及能力依然存在。挑战权威是现代故事的重要情节，“另类”不再意味着“危险与颠覆”，而是代表着“强大与独立”。
II / 得粉丝者得天下
第四章 给予粉丝应有的身份认同/ 097
个体可以通过对某个组织的认同，与之建立有益身心健康的联系。人与人基于共性形成朋友圈，并保持紧密联系，具有巨大的优势。我们既想要一种独特、与众不同的感觉，又想获得一种归属感。粉丝迷恋很好地跨越了这个悖论，允许我们既能展示独特的个性，同时又受到一个更强大的组织的支持和保护。
第五章 建构粉丝间的等级制度/ 131
归属一个团体就是展示自我——自己的知识、品位以及能力，也是拿自己与别人做比较，还能被其他粉丝评价为“优秀粉丝”，只有同伴的评价才是唯一重要的。几乎所有重要的社区都有某种架构，公开的或者是不易觉察的，它可以促使粉丝为社会等级而竞争。
第六章 提升粉丝凝聚力/ 163
粉丝想要获得一种能够发挥作用的感觉，因为他们的爱和关注，某些原本不可能实现的事，成为现实。如果事实证明，粉丝所有的支持和努力都被浪费了，那么粉丝就有理由感到愤怒。粉丝迷恋有一个原则，即它永远不需要众包、众筹或任何与“众”字有关的事物。粉丝与粉丝对象之间是准社会关系，是完全单向的。
第七章 活用真实性原则/ 195
真实性对粉丝团体而言是至关重要的，也最具危险性，但是如果利用得当，它会使粉丝甘愿沉浸在愉快的自欺欺人之中。将普通概念转化为一个新奇、愉快的事物，是一种具有强大吸引力的工具。真实性是一种黏合剂，可以把粉丝和粉丝对象连接起来，让他们投身共同的事业。
第八章 有效应对粉丝的愤怒/ 225
面对粉丝的愤怒是一件非常可怕的事，这是因为，粉丝使用的是极端的语言。当粉丝反叛发生时，必须迅速应对。这并不意味着要删除负面的帖子，或假装问题不存在，而意味着承认对问题的关切，让粉丝知道，他们的意见被听到、被尊重，还要尽快提供解决方案来缓和局势。
结 语/ 257
致 谢/ 261
引言 得粉丝者得天下/ XIII
第一章 缔造粉丝参与感 / 001
粉丝并非指某个人是什么，而是指他做了什么，其价值在于参与式体验。在消费者当中培养粉丝最有效的方法，是鼓励受众参与活动，最好是参与那些与纯粹的商品消费无关的活动。在这些活动中，他们会视自己为更大群体中的一分子，所以这些粉丝活动是粉丝迷恋的中流砥柱。
第二章 创建粉丝语境 / 033
语境是一种围绕粉丝对象的“附加之物”，赋予粉丝对象超越商业实体的性质。关于粉丝对象的传闻、内部辩论、与之相关的社交媒体帖子、为之创作的或与之相关的内容、围绕它开发的仪式和专业词语、朝圣之旅以及旅行后的相关谈论与记录，所有这些都是粉丝语境。这种语境像一种黏合剂，把粉丝黏合在一起。
第三章 关注粉丝的个性表达 / 067
粉丝已经不再是渴望一个远离主流世界的安全空间，而是更多地关注个性表达。“例外主义”传递了一个宝贵的信息：在某个发展阶段，当我们对社会生活、未来前途甚至自己的身体感到无能为力时，控制、接受以及能力依然存在。挑战权威是现代故事的重要情节，“另类”不再意味着“危险与颠覆”，而是代表着“强大与独立”。
II / 得粉丝者得天下
第四章 给予粉丝应有的身份认同/ 097
个体可以通过对某个组织的认同，与之建立有益身心健康的联系。人与人基于共性形成朋友圈，并保持紧密联系，具有巨大的优势。我们既想要一种独特、与众不同的感觉，又想获得一种归属感。粉丝迷恋很好地跨越了这个悖论，允许我们既能展示独特的个性，同时又受到一个更强大的组织的支持和保护。
第五章 建构粉丝间的等级制度/ 131
归属一个团体就是展示自我——自己的知识、品位以及能力，也是拿自己与别人做比较，还能被其他粉丝评价为“优秀粉丝”，只有同伴的评价才是唯一重要的。几乎所有重要的社区都有某种架构，公开的或者是不易觉察的，它可以促使粉丝为社会等级而竞争。
第六章 提升粉丝凝聚力/ 163
粉丝想要获得一种能够发挥作用的感觉，因为他们的爱和关注，某些原本不可能实现的事，成为现实。如果事实证明，粉丝所有的支持和努力都被浪费了，那么粉丝就有理由感到愤怒。粉丝迷恋有一个原则，即它永远不需要众包、众筹或任何与“众”字有关的事物。粉丝与粉丝对象之间是准社会关系，是完全单向的。
第七章 活用真实性原则/ 195
真实性对粉丝团体而言是至关重要的，也最具危险性，但是如果利用得当，它会使粉丝甘愿沉浸在愉快的自欺欺人之中。将普通概念转化为一个新奇、愉快的事物，是一种具有强大吸引力的工具。真实性是一种黏合剂，可以把粉丝和粉丝对象连接起来，让他们投身共同的事业。
第八章 有效应对粉丝的愤怒/ 225
面对粉丝的愤怒是一件非常可怕的事，这是因为，粉丝使用的是极端的语言。当粉丝反叛发生时，必须迅速应对。这并不意味着要删除负面的帖子，或假装问题不存在，而意味着承认对问题的关切，让粉丝知道，他们的意见被听到、被尊重，还要尽快提供解决方案来缓和局势。
结 语/ 257
致 谢/ 261
October 7, 2025
A Study of Fans, for Fans
I bought this book on fandom, funnily enough, because I’m a fan of Squishables, and I’d heard the company’s founders had written a book. I bought it reflexively, without thought, to show support to a company that brought me so much comfort and joy.
This book explains why.
The authors have created an excellent sociological and historical study of fandom, and they pepper in fascinating examples to demonstrate how the things we love reflect both who we are and the communities we are a part of. They’ll take you from the grand tours of the 1800s and the music fans who obsessively stood outside the residences of composers to get a glimpse of the object of their obsession, to the McCarthy-era refugees who cobbled together renaissance faires and incubated the spirit of the sixties, to a modern licensing expo where the deals are made that put Frida Kaloh’s face on a bottle of vodka or the pope’s motto on a shirt. Here, we learn how our objects of obsession are like totems and signals of identity, and we learn how businesses try, and often fail, to honor the commitment of their dearly devoted.
Is it too much to say I’m a fan of this book too?
I bought this book on fandom, funnily enough, because I’m a fan of Squishables, and I’d heard the company’s founders had written a book. I bought it reflexively, without thought, to show support to a company that brought me so much comfort and joy.
This book explains why.
The authors have created an excellent sociological and historical study of fandom, and they pepper in fascinating examples to demonstrate how the things we love reflect both who we are and the communities we are a part of. They’ll take you from the grand tours of the 1800s and the music fans who obsessively stood outside the residences of composers to get a glimpse of the object of their obsession, to the McCarthy-era refugees who cobbled together renaissance faires and incubated the spirit of the sixties, to a modern licensing expo where the deals are made that put Frida Kaloh’s face on a bottle of vodka or the pope’s motto on a shirt. Here, we learn how our objects of obsession are like totems and signals of identity, and we learn how businesses try, and often fail, to honor the commitment of their dearly devoted.
Is it too much to say I’m a fan of this book too?
June 5, 2017
A fascinating subject, but I couldn't tell if it was supposed to be an anecdotal or academic approach, and the books suffers for it.
The authors did well in drawing examples from wildly varying fan bases and businesses, spending time on fandoms as diverse as the defunct Polaroid camera, Renaissance faires, the entirely digital superstar Hatsune Miku, Disney gangs (social clubs), and even Warren Buffet's Berkshire Hathaway convention. But for all the rich source material, the book feels a bit dry. Just as you are getting absorbed into reading about one of the colorful fandoms, there is an abrupt tonal switch as the authors work to fit said fandom into the context of the greater societal functions of fandom. While there's nothing wrong with taking a more academic approach to fandoms, the juxtaposition of the of the casual approach and the serious study is jarring, and ultimately unsatisfying on both accounts.
The authors did well in drawing examples from wildly varying fan bases and businesses, spending time on fandoms as diverse as the defunct Polaroid camera, Renaissance faires, the entirely digital superstar Hatsune Miku, Disney gangs (social clubs), and even Warren Buffet's Berkshire Hathaway convention. But for all the rich source material, the book feels a bit dry. Just as you are getting absorbed into reading about one of the colorful fandoms, there is an abrupt tonal switch as the authors work to fit said fandom into the context of the greater societal functions of fandom. While there's nothing wrong with taking a more academic approach to fandoms, the juxtaposition of the of the casual approach and the serious study is jarring, and ultimately unsatisfying on both accounts.
August 7, 2023
I honestly don’t understand a lot of the negative reviews based on the fact that this book is more focused on the business side of fandoms; if any those people had just bothered to read the subtitle of the book, they would know that it’s exactly what it says on the tin. “iT’s ToO bUsInEsSy!”— Yeah, it’s almost like it TOLD you that was the focus on the front cover.
Regardless, even as someone who loves the subjects of anthropology & cultural history rather than business, it was still a really interesting book. The business-based focus on the book honestly didn’t dampen things too much for me, though maybe that’s because it took a very analytical approach to “this is how fandoms operate/ how they form/ how they react to x, y, or z”, etc.; I’m an analytical thinker who likes knowing how & why things are/work the way they do.
Overall, I would recommend this book, and would suggest that more people read the dang subtitle of a book before reading it.
Regardless, even as someone who loves the subjects of anthropology & cultural history rather than business, it was still a really interesting book. The business-based focus on the book honestly didn’t dampen things too much for me, though maybe that’s because it took a very analytical approach to “this is how fandoms operate/ how they form/ how they react to x, y, or z”, etc.; I’m an analytical thinker who likes knowing how & why things are/work the way they do.
Overall, I would recommend this book, and would suggest that more people read the dang subtitle of a book before reading it.
August 16, 2023
Remember than fandom is, at heart, externally generated branding.
- From Superfandom: How Our Obsessions are Changing What We Buy and Who We Are by Zoe Fraade-Blanar and Aaron M. Glazer
Unlike most other books I've read about the topic, Superfandom is not really a book about the psychology of fans or sociology of groups of fans (fandoms) in terms of the topic as an academic analysis or even one of social commentary. No: Superfandom is about how fans impact businesses, how businesses can interact with fans in a productive manner, how businesses can avoid the pitfalls of fandom revolts, and mostly about marketing to and around fandoms in general. Though very distinctly not the kind of book I thought it was when I picked it up, Superfandom was still a very interesting read and it is one that would recommend to those interested in business/marketing.
- From Superfandom: How Our Obsessions are Changing What We Buy and Who We Are by Zoe Fraade-Blanar and Aaron M. Glazer
Unlike most other books I've read about the topic, Superfandom is not really a book about the psychology of fans or sociology of groups of fans (fandoms) in terms of the topic as an academic analysis or even one of social commentary. No: Superfandom is about how fans impact businesses, how businesses can interact with fans in a productive manner, how businesses can avoid the pitfalls of fandom revolts, and mostly about marketing to and around fandoms in general. Though very distinctly not the kind of book I thought it was when I picked it up, Superfandom was still a very interesting read and it is one that would recommend to those interested in business/marketing.
July 17, 2018
The book wasn’t quite what I'd expected. I came for one thing, but ended up staying for another. While not full of tons of academic jargon and facts, the book is full of many interesting stories, each about a different fandom and how it has been changed through consumerism. Or perhaps vice-versa: how consumerism has been changed through the activities of different fandoms. There are a few small insights I gained through reading Superfandom, but mostly I was entertained and learned a few fun facts about a variety of somewhat inter-related topics from Polaroid cameras to Cards Against Humanity, to even the Disneyland social clubs.
August 1, 2018
This book, to me, isn't meant to focus on the ideas of fandom or even superfandom. This is a book meant to find some amount of economic value in the ideas of fandoms. To convince the reader to value their superfans as opposed to ignoring the economic incentives that they create for the reader. The book is written by a employee of a company that caters to this ideology. It is not meant to be a dissection of the idea of superfandom, only a dissection of the economic conditions in which they are held. From that point of view the book makes sense and has some amount of value.
August 24, 2017
Have you ever heard of a licensing expo? I had not! It sounds so bizarre and surreal, and I would not have ever known about them if not for this book! SUPERFANDOM is packed with interesting nuggets like this, and draws from a variety of fandoms, from professional wrestling to Cards Against Humanity. It's a really fascinating (and entertaining) look at how fandoms develop and the impacts they have on companies.
August 30, 2017
Interesting combination of case studies describing interactions between various fandoms--almost none of those I subscribe to--and their IP owners and of the way the owners should manage their fan groups. I would have preferred examples from the most self-entitled groups, the nerds, because that's where I live. How can you have a book about fans and fan object owners without referring to Shatner's "get a life" skit on SNL?
September 20, 2021
Fraade-Blanar has so many insightful thoughts. I think she really captures the current state of media and fandom. I had her as a teacher at NYU, and then decided to read this book in order to brush up on what I learned. Knowledge of fan studies is definitely a necessity for anyone looking to work in the entertainment industry, public relations, or some adjacent field. This book should give you that!
January 17, 2023
This book was much more about the economics of fandom from the product producers than I had expected, but it was still an interesting read. There seemed to be some effort to make it internationally relevant but it was still quite US-centric. I think perhaps I was assuming I would find it more relatable, but it was more set apart from the subject.
May 5, 2017
So I swithered between a 3 and a 4 for this book and wound up leaning towards 4 because it was just plain fun to read. It's mainly a book about business rather than fan culture in general - it's equally uplifting and disillusioning to see the many levels on which the fan industry operates.
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