In 2024, Fandom has conquered the world

On September 28, Bowen Yang performed one of the most resonant pieces of political theater in 2024 while dressed as a pygmy hippopotamus.

Yang was behind the desk upstairs Saturday Night LiveThe “Weekend Update” segment, dressed as Moo Deng, which at the time the show was airing the current fave of the internet. What he was saying, however, seemed more comments from pop star Chappell Roan, who recently took to social media to ask fans to be more respectful about approaching her in public or saying inappropriate things to her online. “Don’t shout my name, or wait for a photo, just because I’m your parasocial bestie, or because you appreciate my talent,” said Yang, embodied in a rubber Moo Deng costume.

The piece was played for laughs, but in 2024, the actions of fans – to each other, to people who are fans, to the world in general – have entered a new phase. More than half a century after John Lennon observed that the Beatles were more popular than Jesusfandom, fueled by ever-growing social media platforms, has taken a form beyond religious furor.

During the US elections, it was evident in the manosphere and MAGA hats. In addition, in Vice President Kamala Harris’ embrace the “brat” ethos.. In pop culture, it was Taylor Swift stan accounts leaving X for Bluesky over frustrations with Elon Muskthe involvement of President-elect Donald Trump in the campaign. He was also the the return of Gamergatemanifesting in a new campaign of harassment against diversity and inclusion efforts in video game development. It was Kendrick Lamar spinning his beef with Drake in a community event in Los Angeles.

Across mediums and interests, 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 Simon Driessen, assistant professor of media and popular culture at Erasmus University Rotterdam, 2024, more than anything, marks another year in which people recognize, or even reconcile, the fact that fans have real power.

“The MAGA moment, for me, has its roots the moment of January 6t. It was almost like they were cosplaying a shot – but it was very real and with very real consequences,” he says. “Brat estate, Swifties for Harris– are attestations, to me, of how these fannish skills that one builds to be a fan (from hunting Easter eggs to building a community) can also be politically valuable.”

The proof of this is everywhere. Like my colleague Makena Kelly he wrote this year, the 2024 campaign cycle was the election of the influencer. People with cameras, microphones, and large followings have become, he wrote, “tastemakers, meme sharers, video creators and organizers; they also have significant power when it comes to encouraging their followers to vote.” People like Twitch streamer Hasan Piker and conservative YouTuber Ben Shapiro had the power to influence what happened in the election. Whether or not he’s a candidate Joe Rogan’s podcast has become a news story. (Trump did; Harris did not.)