#weird and overly emotional

[nyssabong]

“Are media representations of fans as ‘weird’ and ‘overly emotional’ fair? What is your own experience of fandom?”

A fan is somebody who is obsessed with a particular star, celebrity, film, TV programme, band, and they participate in communal activities (Hills 2002). Most of us are fans of something, as long as we are interested in something. There are many types of fans represented in media and the public, such as normal fans, weird fans, and overly emotional fans. Although there are also some normal fans in the media, I still agree that media representations of fans as ‘weird’ and ‘overly emotional’ are fair. In this blog, we are going to see how the fans are ‘weird’ and ‘overly emotional’ on media, and my own experience of fandom.

One Direction’s crazy fans

According to the research (Chin 2023), the study of fans isn’t new, and it is not just about K-pop or K-dramas. One hardly needs reminding that fan audiences have historically been viewed as ‘obsessive, freakish, hysterical, infantile and regressive social subjects’ (Proctor n.d.). The Channel Four documentary ‘Crazy About One Direction’ (CAOD), begins with the narrator, Julia David, explaining that Directioners are ‘simply crazy’ about the band and that the fan culture is nothing less than a ‘new breed of fan’ who use social media to ‘worship their idols’, and ‘go to extreme lengths to get noticed by the boys’ (Proctor n.d.). They are loyal to their idols and become crazy and weird. According to Proctor (n.d.), those crazy Directioners perform their fandom by tweeting the band and often begging them to ‘follow them’ on social media. From One Direction’s crazy fans research, we can see how ‘weird’ they are.

Sasaeng Fans in Korea

Sasaeng are fans of music groups, who have taken their obsession to extremes because nothing says ‘fan’ better than a bloody letter (Iwicka 2018). Sasaeng fans are people who infringe on the private lives of artists, and they are also ‘weird’ and ‘overly emotional’ in media. In Korea, fans usually give artists gifts like soft toys, or flowers during performances. According to my own experience, I have ever heard some of the weird fans put a micro camera in the gifts, to peep at that artist. Besides, they also get celebrity’s phone numbers from some sources or follow celebrities to their hotel room and keep on disturbing them.

On 21 May 2019, EXO member Kai was broadcasting live on Instagram when he was gym. When he wants to leave, there were two sasaeng fan who are stalking him, and waiting for Kai near the gym of his car (Philippines Star 2019). Not only Kai from EXO, but also a lot of South Korean celebrities met sasaeng fans. During 2021, Blackpink member Kim Jennie was the target of a US$30,000 billboard advertisement set up by Filipino socia media influencer, Christian Albert Gaza, who is a self-proclaimed No 1 Jennie fan (Chung 2021). Sasaeng fans are mostly weird and overly emotional, they not only want to stalk their private lives, but also date the celebrities.

✨My Experience of fandom✨

First and foremost, I used to be a fan of EXO member Luhan while I was in primary school. On October 8, 2017, Luhan made an official announcement on Weibo of his relationship with Guan Xiaotong, which was one of my most memorable experiences. On that day, Luhan's Weibo followers dropped by about half and the social media service was down for a few hours. This research demonstrates that Luhan's fans are typically extremely emotional, since they always consider themselves to be Luhan's girlfriend. Some fans will call themselves as 'girlfriend fans' or'mother fans' on social media platforms. According to my fandom experience, 'girlfriend fans' are more weird and overly emotional. If the celebrities they like suddenly expose their relationship, most of them would either hate the celebrity's girlfriend/boyfriend on social media or begin to condemn the celebrity's girlfriend/boyfriend.

Conclusion

Based on my research and experience in fandom, I believe that media representations of fans as 'weird' and 'overly emotional' are fair. They are strange and extremely emotional, yet they like celebrities. If the celebrities do something that the toxic fans are uncomfortable with of, they begin to hate and destroy them. However, despite their weird and extremely emotional behaviour, it is all because of they like the celebrities, but in the wrong way.

References

Chin, B 2023, ‘MDA20009 Week 9 Fandom’, MDA20009 Digital Communities, Learning materials via Canvas, Swinburne Univerity of Technology, 6 October, viewed 8 November 2023.

Chung, JW 2021, From stalking to date requests: 5 times diehard K-pop fans went too far, South China Morning Post, viewed 11 November 2023, <https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/celebrity/article/3155816/5-k-pop-idols-who-were-victims-sasaeng-fans-blackpinks>.

Hills, M 2022, Fan cultures, Routledge, London.

Iwicka, R 2018, ‘Every Breath You Take: Sasaeng Fans’, At the Interface / Probing the Boundaries, vol. 99, pp. 125–147, viewed 10 November 2023, <https://research.ebsco.com/linkprocessor/plink?id=b28b24e8-2373-3530-8d04-7355f54fe6c2>.

Philippines Star (Manila, Philippines) 2019, ‘EXO’s Kai exposes alleged “sasaeng” fans’, 21 May, viewed 11 November 2023, <https://research.ebsco.com/linkprocessor/plink?id=8adcf75c-6a0a-3b75-a957-1370b7abae6d>.

Proctor, W n.d., Chapter 6 A New Breed of Fan?: Regimes of Truth, One Direction Fans and Representations of Enfreakment, viewed 10 November 2023, <https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/83943346.pdf >.

[pavus]

varric. 🖤

[im-out-of-it]

PSA KIND OF A RANT BUT ALSO JUST A GENUINE QUESTION BUT LIKE DOES ANYONE FEEL WEIRDED OUT THAT THE SHADOWHUNTER SERIES ARE KIND OF TARGETED FOR TEENS (I mean, aren’t they though)

I know I hate and shit on the shadowhunter series (SORRY IT DESERVES TO BE CRITICIZED) and y’all, I’m seriously okay with having characters have trauma and being complex (seriously I’m all for it!!!! I love those fascinating characters) but make these people young adults or something. because this should not be targeted for teens!!!!! LET ME REPEAT MYSELF!!!! THIS SHOULD NOT BE TARGETED FOR TEENS!!!!! I just don’t like the message it sends. I think it’s probably the worst in TMI.

oh if you’re abused or have a shit childhood, it’s okay to put that on others and make it their problem. oh if you’re boyfriend is toxic and emotionally abusive, it’s okay because y’all are soulmates apparently and your whole identity is about him!!!!!!! I don’t mind insane fantasy romances!!!! but don’t target it towards teens!!!!! I still get amazed that this incest toxic fantasy is for teens???????

I don’t know, it’s just weird that a 50+ year old woman is writing about teens having sex. like does anyone feel Cordelia was extremely sexualized????? there’s just so much problematic shit CC writes. and once again, I don’t believe that fantasy books should be “real” “make sense” or whatever excuse people want to use to defend misrepresentation, incest, or heavy topics (abuse, trauma) that are written poorly.

I don’t care if clary and jace aren’t actually siblings- they thought they were and they’re both toxic to one another, also the fact that clary is there to serve jace’s happiness is wild. so like if you want an outrageous fantasy world, that’s absolutely valid but don’t have it targeted for teens. this is my whole beef with the shadowhunter series (and more let’s be obvious) is that teens pick up these books and maybe they don’t understand (doesn’t a brain fully develop at 25 or something?????) and thinks the type of stuff that is in this book is okay or to be admired.

maybe I think too much of this (I’m a very heavy and emotional thinker/person who feels A LOT) and maybe teens don’t actually think this???? maybe they can differentiate that this is fiction and not to be admired? but it’s just weird reading about teens and all the problematic stuff they do. I’m in the young adult ish category so it feels uncomfortable at times for me. make them young adults or something!!!!!!

I’m probably just thinking too much into this lmao but does anyone else feel this way about the books???? and before someone says OmG dOn’T rEaD iF yOu DoN’t LiKe It- the only reason I read these books was because of show Malec and I stupidly thought it was going to be the same masterpiece and I was sorely mistaken- and then I read about the insane stuff CC has gotten away with (plagiarism, how she treated people in the Harry otter fandom, how she treats her own fans when they criticize her, like I think she’s actually insane) and I just feel like this fantasy world and some of these characters deserved better treatment and should’ve been put in the hands of an author who actually cared more. I’m just tired of problematic authors and writers ruining shit for us

[smoshidiot]

[bunnihearted]

🐰🕸🌙

[arahabakix]

nah but ppl shitting on gege for writing gojou's reactions the way he actually is and not fanon's version of him is so funny

[istherewifiinhell]

LIKE. lets reframe the question. yes you can kill me for being too aro to live if you wish but fucking LISTEN FIRST. if you are not currently in a relationship. maybe your life is good maybe your life is not so good. maybe you want one but cant get one do to circumstances. maybe you only kinda of think about wanting one but your like. eh. i can do without for now. you know. but. OH MY GOD! the REST of my LIFE. NOOOO ROMANCE?

and yes. no to be clear, if its a thing you want. you would be missing out on that experience. THAT ONE. POSSIBLE EXPERIENCE. okay. now is there also a fruit youve never eaten? a hobby youve never tried? does that youve never eaten a fucking. i dunno. pawpaw. mean a strawberry is less delicious? does never going ice skating mean you never experience the joy of rock climbing?

when someone phrases a question like. ITS THE REST OF YOUR LIFE!!! RAHHH!!! You suddenly get the urge to. what? count you joys objectively? qualitate and calculate every aspect every missed chance and moment?? the question was not. would you be MORE happy. it wasnt, would you linger on the possiblity of a missed intimacy and closeness. a form of sharing a life for a while or for an age that you might enrich all parties. it was. do you think you would be happy.

do you think YOUD NEVER EXPERIENCE HAPPINESS. do you think your feelings would be constricted through a tube of NO ROMANCE. do you think one loss, one ache, one feeling of regret, MEANS YOU NEVER FEEL ANYTHING ELSE? You would never see a sunset? youd never eat a delicious and emotionally significant meal? Youd never cry with someone out of joy or grief or anything else an feel comfort? GET A GRIP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[daeluin]

anyways. yeah yeah boys are allowed to be soft and explore their feminity. but the second you exclude boys of color, specially black boys, from that you're an ugly person. sorry not sorry 🤷🏾‍♂️

[grandmasickomode]

God dads outburst at me about the election really has left me shaken and fucked up

Spent the last few weeks feeling incredibly lost and tired. All it took was dad breaking my trust in him and losing his stupid ass to the right wing.

[starkidlabs]

Kinda hate how weird men can ruin you passion for something.

[ailelie]

Poison, they say, is a woman's weapon. As if that makes it lesser. As if poison does not betray a deeper anger Any fool can grab a weapon or throw a fist The so-called weapons of men are Weapons of the moment, of passion Poison demands foresight, patience What does it say that the woman's weapon Is one that requires a simmering affront A banked fury growing ever hotter Even while hidden behind the required smile

They say we're too emotional But our weapons tell the truth Poison is a crime of the slowly boiling, Of people who know exactly what they're doing And poison, they say, is a woman's weapon.

[zukkaoru]

chuuya bsd and cherry sk8 have the same gender

[agnimybeloved]

the tonal whiplash between “the sun and the star” and “a nico di angelo adventure 😋” is kind of insufferable... it just sounds so goofy for lack of a better word. like the least nico di angelo thing you could do to a title. but also i think its really funny for that reason like i don’t know what the necessity is for that additional tagline but i’m glad rick riordan continues to not take nico completely seriously LOL 

[thiagodasilva]

not to be like dramatic or mentally ill about it, but having to say goodbye to succession this year is actually more emotional than I thought it would be. I started the show thinking “oh, rich white people going through shit-that’s funny!” but oh man did I underestimate it.

I didn’t expect it to hit so hard and just be so, SO brilliantly done. Every single person that works on that show gives their all and it is evident in every moment. I joke a lot about the emotional turmoil it’s put me through, forcing me to confront my own internal and external issues, relating to these absolutely insane characters and hating them at the same time. I wish I wasn’t so dramatic in saying that a lot of the art that has changed me has come at very important times in my life and succession was the most surprising but I’m actually genuinely so grateful.

anyway. all this to say, I’m actually really sad to see it end so soon? even though we can all agree it should definitely end sooner rather than later, for a proper send off. it changed me in ways that still shock me to the core while also still being able to laugh at the absolute nonsense of the central storyline. so if anyone needs me on march 26 I’ll be

[synthshenanigans]

Dear Machine. Hate, the Cog is insanly fucking good god damn

[catboyrightsdefender]

when lorde said 'i love it here since i stopped needing you' she was being so real