Fandom

I think that the difference between "normal" and "obsessive" is the effort spent being involved with a certain "thing". I would consider a normal fandom to be something like keeping up with a certain television series or collecting an object of some sort to a certain degree. Sometimes collecting objects can also be classified as obsessive fandom. An example of normal fandom would be the past craze of collecting pokemon cards. Many kids would just collect the cards and occasionally play the actual game, but other kids were buying the cards, video games, posters, clothes, assessories, and everything pokemon. I would consider just the card collectors a form of normal fandom, but the kids who had to collect everything that was pokemon became a type of obsessive fandom. I think that the difference between normal and obsessive is extreme. Although the whole process of collecting or interacting is similar some people just seem to take it to an extreme level like we all witnessed on the "Trekkies" movie. A fan community that I am apart of like I mentioned in another blog is the Sarah Dessen book club. The community is nothing official but it brings a bunch of people together to share their thoughts and feelings of the books. I think that being apart of this community make it special for me because it gives me friends that I know I have a connection with. I participate because it makes me feel good to read a book I enjoy and then get together with friends to discuss the lastest thing we had read and discussed how we feel about it. This has shaped me because it gives me something to look foward to and anytime I need to get away or relax I can just jump into a Sarah Dessen book and lose myself in the story. I would classify this as normal, but borderline obsessive. The reason I would say this is normal is because I don't think that I go to the extreme such as dressing up or talking to the characters of the book, but I would consider it almost obsessive because I do think that at times I have a parasocial relationship with the characters of the book. Often I will catch myself relating to what the character is saying and imaging myself and their shoes or as their friend. Sarah Dessen book have definitely become a media that has a large effect on me and who I am.