The Following

By Emerald Green
There is a difference between just liking a show and being a part of a fandom.
When you watch a show, youre not interested in the characters because you are
more interested in the plot. Being a part of a fandom, you have more empathy for
the characters and are more engulfed in whats happening to them, Joe Penney,
12th grader, said.
According to the dictionary, a fandom is the state or condition of being a fan of
someone or something. Some people do not understand the dedication and
emotional capacity it takes to be in a fandom. There are real struggles when
belonging to a fandom.
Lily Jankowiak considers herself to be a fandom expert. She currently identifies with
28 fandoms, including the Attack on Titan fandom, the Marvel Universe Fandom, the
American Horror Story fandom, the Firefly fandom, and the SuperWhoLock Fandom,
which is the Supernatural, Sherlock Holmes, and Doctor Who fandoms combined.
She admits that she feels more for fictional characters than people in real life.
People use fictional characters as a coping device. They stay up late crying with
their favorite sometimes imagine their characters by their side when they are
experiencing bad anxiety in public. Also, for the most broken or depressed people,
they use their favorite fictional characters to keep them going through life, Lily
Jankowiak, 9th grader, said.
However, Jankowiak does not advise joining a fandom.
Dont join! Just run! Run as fast and as far as you can! A fandom is like a drug.
You only need that little bit to become addicted and for it to ruin your life,
Jankowiak said.
Josh Luers, 9th grader, does not identify with any fandoms and says that he will
never be a part of one. Luers admits that he does find himself caring more for
fictional characters than real people from time to time, but he does not have
respect for fandom followers.
They [fandom followers] are stubborn and will only like what they like and nothing
else, Luers said.
Joe Penney, senior, defines a fandom as a border-line obsession with a person or
object. He believes that everyone is a part of a fandom to some degree or another
and believes that a person can never be too old to be in a fandom. He is open to
new fandoms and has no shame in being a fanboy because a fandom is something
that everyone has throughout their lives.

We are all human, and we all have that one thing that we can connect with, and
thats nothing to be ashamed about, Joe Penney said.