Are you a Mac ? Or are you a PC ? Are you an iPhone guy or a soldier in the Android Army ? If you feel strongly about any of these query , chance are , you ’re a fanboy .
What is a fanboy?
It seems strange to call back that the definition of fanboy is n’t obvious or self - explanatory . But it ’s in reality a dense , tightly backpack term with history , a watchword that ’s constantly evolving .
It ’s an insult lunge by snotty net commenters like a nuke . It ’s a badge of pride , a virtual tattoo that proclaims “ I do n’t just love this matter , I am a part of it and it is a part of me . ” Oh , and fanboy is a nearly neutral means to say you tend to prefer one matter over another .
The origin of the word fanboy in its modern incarnation go back to comic strip culture ( when first used in 1919 , it literally meant a young fan of the fashion plate persuasion ) . Specifically , a comic fanzine call Fanboy , created in 1973 by Jay Lynch and Glenn Bray about a pair of comic book , uh , fanboys . According toHarry McCracken ’s historyof the idiomatic expression , it was a Gladstone of “ fan ” and “ funboy , ” meant to be “ disparaging….but in a loving way . ” So , it grew out of comic and sci - fi culture , and finally run out over to gambling and technical school enthusiasts .
So what ’s the difference of opinion between a hardcore fan and a fanboy ? “ Fanboy ” is n’t simply the 7th level in the selfsame hell . What I mean : you may be a fan of the Boston Red Sox . A diehard fan . A fanatic , even . But there is no such matter as a Boston Red Sox fanboy . On the other hand , you could be a Star Wars buff , or a Star Wars fanboy ( or fangirl ) . An Apple rooter , or an Apple fanboy . The difference , in other words , is that fanboys are geek . And they ’re boys ( or miss ) . A sports fanatic can never be a fanboy . Digging summercater is manly . ( As long as it ’s not cricket . )
https://gizmodo.com/are-you-a-fanboy-or-fangirl-5647487
What drives a fanboy?
If you call for a self - described fanboy why he ’s a fanboy , he ’ll give you a perfectly sensible account . Well , from his pointedness of view , anyway . I asked Steven Smith why he got a Zune tattoo . His response :
I am a huge fan of music . I take heed to every genre of music and the Zune Pass had me hooked . For $ 15 a month I could without concern download any cd I felt the pauperization to heed to and if I did n’t like it , edit it . I matte Microsoft was going against huge contender and so I know my tattoos would turn some heads topically and be a great conversation starter .
Zune is great . He want to help Zune . In other tidings , it ’s about the relationship between the fanboy and the thing they love , which has an inherent greatness to it .
It snuff it deep than that though . Consumer psychologists excuse that Fanboyism is an filename extension of one ’s identity . A fanboy is part of a collective , something vainglorious than himself . Dr. Lars Perner , prof of consumer psychological science at the University of Southern Californiatells GameProthat “ There is a phenomenon whereby an aim becomes part of a person ’s ‘ carry ego . ’ If an individual is really into gaming , for example , his or her console may become an important part of his or her identity . ” And Alina Wheeler , author of Designing Brand Identitytells Kotakuthat “ Strong brand make you experience as if you are a part of a very special tribe of hoi polloi who are alike - minded in their passion and experience . ”
https://kotaku.com/the-making-of-a-video-game-fanboy-5499012
What ’s connecting this “ very special tribe of people ” is n’t necessarily a corporate experience or a shared background , the traditional sinew that binds mathematical group of people together . It ’s “ hard brands . ” Nintendo , Batman , Star Trek , Xbox , Apple , Linux , and Naruto — the thing fanboys and fangirls tend to bonk — are almost entirely brands or physical object of aggregate civilization that post just a puff of air of sub - ethnical olfactory property . The value of the thing a fanboy loves derives almost entirely from the fact that it is a brand , and that it projects a have a go at it currency or image , which feeds back into the process of creating the fanboy ’s identity . In other words , the point of being Star Wars fanboy is n’t just that Star Wars is expert , it ’s exactly that other people know what Star Wars is , and being a Star Wars fanboy says something about who that somebody is . Being a Star Wars fanboy would mean a good deal less if no one knew what Star Wars was .
You do n’t have to go any further than a Facebook page to see how we ’re all slowly being defined completely by the brands we “ like , ” quite literally lumped to together with the “ very special clan of mass ” who also like Android or iPhone . Where you literally ca n’t like something or fix yourself unless it ’s a know quantity or brand . Where one day we might all be fanboys .
Imagery by Contributing IllustratorSam Spratt . Check out Sam’sportfolioand become a fan of hisFacebook Artist ’s Page .
https://gizmodo.com/meet-our-contributing-illustrator-sam-spratt-5620127
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