Fandom

Fandom is a subculture composed of fans characterized by a feeling of empathy and camaraderie with others who share a common interest. Fans typically are interested in even minor details of the object(s) of their fandom and spend a significant portion of their time and energy involved with their interest, often as a part of a social network with particular practices (a fandom); this is what differentiates "fannish" (fandom-affiliated) fans from those with only a casual interest.

A fandom can grow around any area of human interest or activity. The subject of fan interest can be narrowly defined, focused on something like an individual celebrity, or more widely defined, encompassing entire hobbies, genres or fashions. While it is now used to apply to groups of people fascinated with any subject, the term has its roots in those with an enthusiastic appreciation for sports. The Mega Man franchise created by Capcom has a large fandom.

Fan activities
Members of a fandom associate with one another, often attending fan conventions and publishing and exchanging fanzines and newsletters. Amateur press associations are another form of fan publication and networking. Originally using print-based media, these sub-cultures have migrated much of their communications and interaction onto the Internet, which they also use for the purpose of archiving detailed information pertinent to their given fanbase. Often, fans congregate on forums and discussion boards to share their love for and criticism of a specific work. This congregation can lead to a high level of organization and community within the fandom, as well as infighting. Although there is some level of hierarchy among most of the discussion boards in which certain contributors are valued more highly than others, newcomers are most often welcomed into the fold.

Fans have varying activities, such as creating fan art, fan fiction, fan videos, analytical music videos and other contents focusing on the source fandom. Such activities are sometimes known as "fan labor" or "fanac", an abbreviated form of the phrase "fan activity". The advent of the Internet has significantly facilitated fan association and activities. Activities that have been aided by the Internet includes the creation of fan "shrines" dedicated to favorite characters or games (like Dust Man's Domain), computer screen wallpapers, avatars, and other contents. Furthermore, the advent of the Internet has resulted in the creation of online fan networks who help facilitate the exchange of fanworks.

Some fans create pictures known as edits, which consist of pictures or photos with their chosen fandom characters in different scenarios. These edits are often shared on social media networks such as Instagram, Tumblr, or Pinterest. In some edits, one may see content relating to several different fandoms. Fans in communities online often make gifs or gif sets about their fandoms. Gifs or gif sets can be used to create non-canon scenarios mixing actual content or adding in related content. Gif sets can also capture minute expressions or moments. Fans use gifs to show how they feel about characters or events in their fandom; these are called reaction gifs.

Fandom is sometimes caricatured as religious faith, as the interest of fans sometimes grows to dominate their lifestyle, and fans are often very obstinate in professing (and refusing to change) their beliefs about their fandom. However, society at large does not treat fandom with the same weight as organized religion.

There are also active fan organizations that participate in philanthropy and create a positive social impact. For example, the Games Done Quick events are speed running marathons done for charity.

Cosplay
Cosplay (a portmanteau between costume and play) is the creation and wearing of costumes designed in the likeness of characters from a source work, which can also be combined with role-playing, reenacting scenes or inventing likely behavior inspired by their chosen sources.

Fan art
Fan art is artwork created by fans of a work of fiction and derived from a series character or other aspect of that work. As fan labor, fan art refers to artworks that are neither created nor (normally) commissioned or endorsed by the creators of the work from which the fan art derives.

Fan club
A fan club is a group that is dedicated to celebrities group, or idea. Most fan clubs are run by fans who devote considerable time and resources to supporting them. There are also "official" fan clubs that are run by someone associated with the person or organization the club is centered on.

Fan fiction
Fan fiction, or fanfic, is a fan written story based on the universe and characters of the chosen fandom. This fiction can take the form of writting, video-making, hand-drawn comics or sprite comics. Fan fiction may or may not tie in with the story's canon; sometimes the fans use the story's characters in different situations that do not relate to the plot line at all.

Fan fiction is almost never regarded as canonical. However, certain ideas may become influential or widely accepted within fan communities, who refer to such ideas as "fanon", a portmanteau of fan and canon. Similarly, the jargon "headcanon" is used to describe a fan's personal interpretation of a fictional universe. One example of this is the "cataclysm" theory from Bob and George.

Fansites
A fansite, fan site, fan blog or fan page is a website created and maintained by one of more fans about a celebrity, thing, media, or particular cultural phenomenon.

The content of fansites vary, usually offering specialized information on the subject (e.g., episode listings, biographies, storyline plots), pictures taken from various sources, the latest news related to their subject, media downloads, links to other related fansites and the chance to talk to other fans via discussion boards. Many contain a blog, highlighting the latest news regarding the fansite subject. They may also include galleries of photos or videos of the subject and are often "affiliates" with other fansites.

Most fansites are unofficial, but a few are officially endorsed, where the subject will supply material and reimbursement for the expense and bother of running the site. To state that they are unofficial, many fan webmasters put a disclaimer on a visible place on the website, which sometimes also includes the copyright of the site.

Relationship with the industry
The entertainment industry refers to the totality of fans devoted to a particular area of interest, whether organized or not, as the "fanbase". The Mega Man franchise often received fan content via boss character contests.

Media fans, have, on occasion, organized on behalf of canceled series, with notable success in cases such as Star Trek in 1968, Cagney & Lacey in 1983, Xena: Warrior Princess in 1995, and Jericho in 2007. The cancelation of Mega Man Legends 3 led to the creation of the Get Me Off the Moon group. Such outcries, even when unsuccessful, suggests a growing self-consciousness on the part of entertainment consumers, who appear increasingly likely to attempt to assert their power as a bloc.

The relationship between fans and professionals has changed because of access to social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook. These give fans greater access to public figures such as creators, authors, and actors. Online platforms also give fans more ways to connect and participate in fandoms.