In my second year, I took CMNS 3160: Media, Entertainment & Pop Culture. We were asked to write about a fanbase or ‘fandom’ of our choosing. Our professor asked us to detail as much about the fan base as we could, and to write about how that particular fan base has changed how popular culture views different fan bases. For this piece, I chose to write about popular British boy band One Direction. I did an in-depth dive on what the fan base was like in the early days of formation, post-X-Factor elimination, and all of the things that followed after that. Although it felt like the easy way out at the time to write about my favourite childhood boyband, it was more of a challenge than anything else, as it was an academically-written paper. I strived to push myself to write the best possible piece, as a thank you to my younger self for all of the amazing memories this boyband gave to me.
“However, this was by no means the end of One Direction, it was just the beginning. Social media instantly blew up with overwhelming support for the band, and the boys individually. It wasn’t long before former manager, Simon Cowell, was inviting the members into his office at SYCO to sign a record deal that would change each of their lives forever.”
“Known as “Directioners”, fans of One Direction became well known for their diehard attitude towards Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Liam Payne, Louis Tomlinson, and Zayn Malik. Teen girls threw themselves at each member whenever they got their chance to, it was a new wave of boyband mania, and there was nothing like it. Well, of course, there were things like it, but the “One Direction Infection” was one for its time.”
