Fandom are informal subcultural communities whose members unite through common interests or hobbies. Fandoms are formed around literary and cinematic genres, actors, athletes, hobbies.
Fantastic origins
For example, in Russia the biggest fandoms are associated with science fiction. Initially, the word "fandom" and meant a society of fans of science fiction. Currently, this concept has expanded significantly. There are fandoms "Harry Potter", "The Lord of the Rings", "The Twilight Saga" …
To become part of the fandom, it is not enough to be superficially interested in its subjects. It is very important to participate in the exchange of information, which is the essence of organizing such communities. Currently, information exchange takes place via the Internet, but quite often there are also "offline" meetings of local interest clubs, as well as large conventions and conferences where members of fandoms can communicate live.
For fandoms of certain genres or genres, special narrow terms may exist. Fans of manga and anime are called otaku; fans of the Star Trek or Star Track series are called trekkers.
Harry Potter and other stories
In some cases, the word "fandom" can be used to refer to a collection of fan works based on a source. The thing is that writing "fanfic" has been gaining popularity in recent years. It is customary to use this word to denote texts that develop, continue or change well-known literary plots. For example, among fans of "Harry Potter" there are many people who write short stories or whole novels about the wizarding school of Hogwarts and their favorite characters. In such texts, the heroes may not be at all in the relationships described by the author, the key events of the books may change, and in general, some particularly radical "fanfiction" does not leave stone unturned from the original story. But it should be noted that short sketches describing, for example, an ordinary day of a Hogwarts student, are quite popular.
For the first time, organized groups of fans of science fiction appeared in the early 1930s in America. Then they united in postal associations. Members of such associations exchanged letters on a topic of interest to them. In 1934, readers of Wonder Stories merged into the Science Fiction League, which eventually grew into the First Fandom, within which many literary talents developed. The members of this First Fandom were such science fiction stars as Ray Bradbury, Isaac Asimov, Judith Merrill, Frederick Paul and others. The same circle included future publishers and researchers of science fiction books.