Fandom: Cult or Commaraderie

In the discussion of fandom we talked about the lengths people go to in expressing their affinity with a particular group or celebrity. There are an endless variety of fandoms including Twilight, Harry Potter, Glee, Nikki Minaj, and Lady Gaga to name a few. Fans will even continue talking about a person or t.v. show when they are no longer famous, such as the show Friends. There are whole websites, theme parks, clothing lines, accessories, and social media pages devoted to fandoms. What is interesting is that these franchises can become huge relatively easily because we live in a time when there are so many ways to exploit a popular commodity. Is it that we love these franchises so much or more that they are so easily accessible and cross over into so many spheres of our lives? I think that people like being apart of a fan base because it makes them feel like they are apart of something bigger than themselves. Teenagers especially like being crazed fans because it lets others know their interests in an easy way. What people ultimately get out of being crazy fans is subjective, but people still like supporting things they connect with long after  those things are past.