fandom policing

An oft-quoted proverb is “Only three things in life are certain: birth, death, and change.” This cycle is also true of social cultures. New ones are being born. Established ones are changing. Older and rigid ones are dying, especially if they are closed Read More

Over the past couple of years, a certain portion of the geek/nerd community has decided the culture has been invaded. These invaders, like space aliens with malicious intent, are able to blend into the realm of geekdom and pose as ordinary geeks/nerds. Read More

The popularity of conventions in the nerd/geek community is due in large part to the freedom participants feel to express their particular fandom with enthusiasm and devotion in an atmosphere that is comfortable and safe. For cosplayers, that safety has Read More

Cosplay is a way for people to express their fandom by costuming and performing as their favorite characters. This process requires dedicated research to a character’s background and the details of their appearance and mannerisms. Cosplayers spend many Read More

Spandex-clad superheroes, armored Stormtroopers, uniformed Star Fleet officers, sonic screwdriver-armed Doctors, mail bikini-sporting Leias, blaster-toting Captain Mals and hat-wearing Jaynes, shield-bearing Links and Zeldas, plus a host of other Read More

Whether you like it or not, styling oneself as a geek/nerd has gone mainstream. Add “geek” to your hobby, and you’ve got yourself a new fandom — Sports Geek, Film Geek, Photography Geek, Computer Geek, Knitting Geek, Gardening Geek, Barbie Geek — the Read More

“You’re such a nerd!” Almost all of us heard it at one point in our lives growing up. The phrase was usually accompanied by sneers and jeering laughter — a label pasted on us by peers, not by choice, meant as an insult. As technology has become more Read More

At the end of each year we poll the Fandomania staff to bring you our favorite movies, TV shows, and video games from the year that’s concluding. Even though there’s always a lot of great stuff that excited us, there inevitably will be fan Read More