Inside the Gleefully Obsessed World of One Direction Superfandom
“It can be hectic — I don’t even know how to say it,” says 13-year-old Madison Delgado, from Rancho Cucamonga, California., who celebrated her one-year One Direction anniversary last month. “Every day last summer, I’d stay in my room, and just go on Tumblr Tumblr Tumblr, all day. Every day, I was up till 5am. Sometimes it’s kind of like homework.”
And what if teen fans were unable to access their social media channels for a day?
“Suicide,” says Jenna, from a fan chatroom on Tinychat.
“I’D DIE,” proclaims her friend, Katie.
“I’D ROLL UP INTO A BALL, CRY MY EYES OUT AND DIE,” says Kaitlin.”
Inside the Gleefully Obsessed World of One Direction Superfandom.
Listen, I am generally on the “just lay off and let the kids have their fun” side of whatever the t(w)een obsession of the moment is. That said:
1. JFC
2. Madison Delgado, you will rue the day your young hapless self gave your full name to this reporter; where were your parents? Fortunately for you, you have a fairly common name.
Emma Zaninovic, on the other hand:
“This fandom can survive anything, and I mean it,” says Emma Zaninovic, 17. “This is the craziest fandom I’ve ever been in. We’re going to suffer, but we’ll survive.”
Enjoy it while it lasts, Emma. Enjoy it hard, and maybe start writing for your high school newspaper or something, because right now this is shaping up to be your Google legacy. You are 17! You have grown up on the internet!! HOW DID YOU NOT SEE THIS COMING??
