Introduction: Why Still Study Fans?

“Most people are fans of something”—with this assertion we began the first edition of this anthology in 2007. Today, following continued technological, social, and cultural changes, fandom is an even more commonplace experience. The proliferation and simultaneous transformation of fandom are well illustrated, for instance, by the emergence of “fan” as a common description of political supporters and activists. Shortly after the first edition of this volume was published, Barack Obama’s primary campaign illustrated the capacity of grassroots enthusiasm through the now-existent infrastructure of social media (combined with the effective management of mainstream media) to transform his outsider’s bid...