The new era of the fan club: hours of selfless dedication creating content on the internet

Last summer, a Cardi B fan shelled out $96,000 (about 90,000 euros) to buy at auction the microphone that the controversial rapper threw at the audience during a concert.

Also not far behind are the $40,000 for which the tutu that Sarah Jessica Parker wears in the headliner of

Sex and the City

was recently sold .

A figure that, without a doubt, many of Taylor Swift's followers would pay if they could for some of the star's objects.

The

Swifties

(as they call themselves) wait for hours and hours in lines at her concerts, carrying with them all kinds of

merchandising

, from bracelets to stamps with the artist's face as if it were Jesus Christ.

But fans' support for their favorite artists can go far beyond purchases, extravagance and financial waste.

Sometimes, they put considerable effort into sharing their interest in their idols with the world.

Being a fan can be a full-time dedication and proof of this is the accounts that proliferate in the digital universe, profiles with solid communities of followers that in many cases reach tens of thousands of people.

Constantly updated, they follow the movements of your favorite stars practically in real time.

These types of accounts are part of the unofficial mechanism of the strategies of advertisers and agents.

In fact, in many cases they have the

following

of the celebrity to whom they pay tribute, something that could be interpreted as an approval by the artist for the content that is published.

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In Spain, celebrities such as the Oscar winner Penélope Cruz, the singers Rosalía or Aitana, athletes such as Rafa Nadal or personalities such as Queen Letizia, whose style generates great interest among the specialized international press, have dozens of fan pages managed by followers. anonymous people who spare no effort when creating content.

Rebeca Antolín Prieto, doctor in Information Sciences and professor in the Department of Applied Communication Sciences at the Complutense University of Madrid, highlights the potential of fan accounts as a tool to strengthen the personal brand image: “It is crucial to recognize the positive impact that these profiles can have in building a celebrity's personal brand image.

Not only do they serve as platforms for the expression of admiration, but they also consolidate a loyal community that projects a positive image and constant support, thus contributing to the public perception of the celebrity.”

The new fan club

This is the case of the profile @styleofRosalia (with more than 23,000 followers on Instagram), dedicated to analyzing each and every one of the Catalan singer's outfits.

The tracker behind the artist's closet is María, a 21-year-old young woman, a student of Clothing and Fashion, who opened the account in November 2018 with the aim of sharing all kinds of content about Rosalía, although she finally focused on the of clothing.

Something that she complements with another account dedicated to her ex-partner, the singer Rauw Alejandro (Fan Page Style Closet Rauw).

“There are almost no

updated

accounts of clothing from male artists in the reggaeton genre,” he maintains.

Regarding the number of hours invested behind the profile of the artist, for which she does not receive any financial compensation, she assures that “it depends on the weeks,” whether she is busy or not: “Normally, it could perfectly be 21 hours a week or even more.” .

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Fan Page Style Closet Rosalía (@styleofrosalia_)

Olga, 27, dedicates more or less the same time to her profile focused on the Spanish Royal Family (@spain_royal).

In two years, this Russian living in Italy has built a community that exceeds 152,000 followers around the world.

Interested in the monarchy, she assures that she began “to look for information about the Spanish Royal Family in Russian, but it was quite limited, in addition to there being a lot of false information.”

Therefore, she decided to launch her own account and learn to speak Spanish to also access Spanish-speaking fans.

Currently, she spends several hours a day keeping the account updated: “It depends on the day and whether the Kings have activities or not.

And also my state of mind.

Sometimes I get inspired and spend hours creating new content.”

On average, she dedicates about three hours a day to the page, sometimes more.

“I like it,” she points out.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Spanish Royal Family (@spain_royal)

The people behind these support accounts not only give extra visibility to any appearance of their idols, they also manage to keep the name of the celebrities about whom they share content in the digital conversation.

The fact that the artists themselves often interact with them shows their favorable attitude towards these profiles, a new version of the traditional fan club with global reach.

In fact, in the case of the young woman behind @styleofrosalia, the Catalan's team even invited her to attend the

Motomami Tour

(the singer's last tour).

“Being one of the first to see what would be done on the tour was an incredible experience,” says the account owner.

You don't have to look too deep to come across memes, photographs or videos made by fans on any social network, often directly converted into content creators, that reach a high degree of virality.

“This not only expands visibility, but also creates a multiplier effect by reaching new audiences.

This phenomenon can generate a substantial increase in the notoriety of the celebrity, reinforcing their status in the world of entertainment,” says Antolín Prieto.

Exacerbated mythomania sometimes tips the balance to the opposite side.

At times, artists have seen their own fans cross certain red lines.

The most notorious example took place when last year Selena Gomez fans orchestrated a harassment campaign on social networks against the model Hailey Bieber, whom they consider an enemy of the singer and actress since she began a relationship with her now husband Justin Bieber. , Gomez's teenage boyfriend.

They even threatened to kill Hailey Bieber.

Selena herself stepped forward publicly to ask her fans to stop.

In this sense, it seems obvious when fan accounts have a negative impact.

In the words of Professor Antolín Prieto: “If false information is spread, harmful behavior is engaged in, or controversy is encouraged irresponsibly, it could affect the reputation of the celebrity.”