The Superfan Cult

Sometimes it seems like the whole world is made up of superfans. They dominate your Twitter feed with their exclusive follow-parties and ramble on about how "utterly asdfghjkl" Zayn's new tattoo is. Sometimes they are nowhere to be seen. Most of my friends either hate or couldn't care less about Justin Bieber or One Direction. Whatever the case, there are millions and millions and...millions...okay...of those fans out there. And they are, like, really weird.

Now I don't mean that in a rude or negative way at all- in fact I am a bit of a fangirl myself at times. It's just that people who are so completely and devotedly infatuated with one pop star or another have such DIFFERENT lives to other people.

I was in the cinema yesterday with a friend (who coincidentally wanted it to be a date but I said no, I love Colin Morgan too much for that) and the trailer for Believe came on. It struck me how much the Bieber-boy means to some people, how much they've attached themselves to him, and how they basically use him as their Bible. They really look up to him as a guide and a helping hand.

It's interesting to think that there are people in the world who have put people like Justin at the centre of their lives. Some of them apparently wouldn't be around anymore if they didn't have him to keep them going, and somehow they've trained themselves to believe it matters to him whether they as individuals carry on through their hard times or not. I'm sure it does hurt him if he hears about it, but then he can't know every one of his multi-million fans' life stories, can he?

In a way it must be rather nice to have something in your life like a refuge, to occupy yourself with, perhaps especially so for those of us who don't have a religion. It must also be heavenly to have a crush who doesn't live right across the road from you so you can't ever go out for fear of having to talk to him, blushing like crazy. (Yup, that is meh.) It must also be sad, though, knowing the object of your existence will never know you as an individual person and that the obsession is only one-way. 

What do you guys think? Are superfans just ridiculous and messed-up, or should they feel blessed? Are you one? Let us know in the comments!

-Barista Sabita
 

Image: Joe Bielawa