A Point of View

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On Fandom

BBC Radio 4 - A Point of View, On Fandom

Zoe Strimpel reflects on the rise and rise of the superfan.

Zoe Strimpel on the increasingly tribal, commercial - and possibly even Freudian - nature of fan culture.

Zoe Strimpel reflects on the 'commercial exploitation' of fandom.  

From Swiftie 'friendship bracelets' to beauty products and sportswear, she argues that you can no longer be a true superfan, or a true popstar, without the merch. 

'But it is striking,' writes Zoe, 'that rather than reject the purely cynical commercialism of their fandom, fans demand it. Which begs the question of whether we are really fans of artists these days, or whether fandom has been consumed by corporations who have shape-shifted into the form of pop stars.' 

Producer: Adele Armstrong 
Sound: Peter Bosher
Production coordinator: Gemma Ashman
Editor: Richard Fenton-Smith

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