The Dark Side of Fandom Part 2: Friendship Simulator

Why do people love the Disney corporation? Why do people watch other people play video games? Can fans influence creatives’ work for the worse? Does the mainstreaming of geek culture represent a triumph for social outcasts, or is it all just a capitalist plot?

In part two of our discussion on the dark side of fandom, RS Benedict talks to Tim Heiderich about parasocial relationships, Twitch streamers, Nazis, Pink Floyd’s The Wall and fans who want to watch their idols burn.

Recommended reading/viewing:

• The Dark Side of K-Pop

• Mary Weiland’s heartbreaking letter in Rolling Stone about the death of her ex-husband, Stone Temple Pilots frontman Scott Weiland

• Fake Friends Episode One

• Parasocial Relationships: The Nature of Celebrity Fascinations

• That movie where Melissa Joan Hart falls in love with a nutcracker is in fact real

• Rammstein — “Mann Gegen Mann”

• Disney lobbies Congress to change copyright laws

• Nine Inch Nails — “Every Day Is Exactly The Same”

• The Skinner Box

• That bit from The Wall

• That time Roger Waters spit on a dude

• How it feels to listen to podcasts

• that Electric Literature piece about Judy

About Rite Gud: R.S. Benedict is an author, appearing in Fantasy and Science Fiction and Gardner Dozois’ The Very Best of the Best: 35 Years of The Year’s Best Science Fiction. Matt Keeley, founder of Kittysneezes, is producing Rite Gud for KS Media, LLC. Rite Gud is a Kittysneezes production. If you have questions, comments and concerns, email ritegud – at – kittysneezes – dot – com. Rite Gud is also on Patreon, at patreon.com/ritegud. Patrons receive access to the official Kittysneezes Discord, exclusive episodes, critiques and more.

Rite Gud is supported by readers like you. If you enjoy what you’ve read here, please consider supporting Rite Gud on Patreon, or via the Kittysneezes Boutique. 

The post The Dark Side of Fandom Part 2: Friendship Simulator by Matt Keeley appeared first on Kittysneezes.