In 2024, Fandom Conquered the World

On September 28, Bowen Yang performed one of the political performances of 2024 dressed as a hippopotamus.

Yang was behind the desk Saturday Night LiveThe “Weekend Update” segment, dressed as Moo Deng, who at the time the show was on. which is popular on the internet. However, what he was saying sounded like what he was doing comments Singer Chappell Roan, who recently took to social media to ask fans to respect him by talking to him in public or saying inappropriate things to him online. “Don’t shout my name, or expect a photo, because I’m your favorite, or because you appreciate my skills,” said Yang, wearing Moo Deng’s rubber suit.

Gradually it was played for fun, but in 2024, what the fans – to each other, to the people they love, to the whole world – entered a new phase. More than half a century after John Lennon saw that the Beatles were more famous than JesusFandom, fueled by ever-changing social media, has evolved far beyond religious debates.

During the US election, it appeared in manosphere and MAGA helmets. Also, Vice President Kamala Harris’ embracing the “brat” culture.. In pop culture, it was Taylor Swift stan accounts leaving X to Bluesky on frustrations and Elon MuskParticipation in the campaign of President Donald Trump. It also had back to Gamergateappearing in a new campaign of harassment against diversity and inclusion in video game development. It was Kendrick Lamar turning his life is Drake to a public events in Los Angeles.

Through magic and passion, being a fan of someone or something didn’t just mean buying a T-shirt or a movie ticket, it meant choosing a side.

Superfans, Supersized

According to Simone Driessen, associate professor of media and popular culture at Erasmus University Rotterdam, 2024, more than anything else, shows another year in which people accept, or reconcile, the fact that fans have real power.

“The MAGA moment, for me, started during January 6t. It was as if they were trying to take over the government—but it was real and had real consequences,” he says. “Come summer, Swifties to Harris—that’s proof, to me, of how these fun skills one builds through being likable (from Easter egg hunts to community building) can also be politically valuable.”

Evidence of this is everywhere. Like my friend Makena Kelly he wrote this year, the 2024 circular campaign was a strong choice. People with cameras, microphones, and followers became, he wrote, “creators of beauty, sharers of memes, creators of videos, and organizers; they also have greater power when it comes to encouraging their followers to vote.” People like Twitch streamer Hasan Piker and conservative YouTuber Ben Shapiro had influence over the election process. Whether or not Joe Rogan’s podcast became a big deal. (Trump did; Harris did not.)