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'''Fanboy''' or '''Fanboi''' is a term used to describe a male who is utterly devoted to a single subject or [[hobby]], often to the point where it is considered an [[obsession]]. The term originated in [[comic book]] circles, to describe someone who was socially insecure and used comics as a shield from interaction, hence the disparaging connotations. Fanboys are often experts on minor details regarding their hobbies, and they take these details extremely seriously. The term itself is often used in a derogatory manner by less serious fans of the same material. Nevertheless, self-labeling usages of the term have been noted; in the songs of the fannish [[parody]] [[musician]] [[Luke Ski]], many characters proudly consider themselves ''fanboys''. The term is usually applied to people in their teens or 20s. Within this group, common subjects of reverence by fanboys are [[TV show]]s, [[film|movie]]s, [[anime]], [[car]]s, [[video game console]]s, [[video games]], [[operating system]]s, [[MMORPG]]s, and [[software]] companies.  
'''Fanboy''' is a term used to describe any individual who is devoted to a single subject in an emotional or fanatical manner, or to a single point of view within that subject, often to the point where it is considered an obsession.


Typically, fanboys are attributed with a [[sycophant]]ic devotion to the creators and principles behind a work with which they are currently enthralled, but will quickly move their attention elsewhere once something better or just newer comes along.  A good example of this is [[Harry Knowles]] and his associates at [[Ain't It Cool News]], whose particular focus is on [[film|movies]] in the [[action movie|action]], [[fantasy]], adventure and [[superhero]] genres. Fanboys are noted for a very emotional attachment to their chosen subject, often taking negative remarks about it as a personal attack. They will readily engage in debates, but will fall back on emotional responses. For example, a "fanboy" may go out of their way to point out negative and often untrue statements about their obsession's rivals; this is commonly known as [[fear, uncertainty and doubt|FUD]].
==History==
According to the [[Merriam-Webster]] Collegiate Dictionary, the earliest known use of the term "fanboy" in an English-language publication dates to 1919.<ref name="mw">[http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fanboy fanboy. (2008)]. In Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary. Retrieved July 7, 2008.</ref>
{{?}}
In [[comic book]] culture, a 1982 reference is to the cover of the "Official Underground and Newave Comix Price Guide". On this cover page are sketched overweight, overzealous comic book collectors wearing T-shirts that state "Fanboys of America," who are describing the extreme measures they would go to, including moving to San Francisco, to preserve their comics.


The stereotypical image of the fanboy is as an unkempt, often overweight, and generally unattractive figure of a young man who appears as a loud mouthed [[pseudo-intellectual]]. A popular depiction of this stereotype is the [[Comic Book Guy]] on ''[[The Simpsons]]''. In the mid [[1990s]], the emergence of [[slacker]] culture changed this image somewhat. Movies such as [[Kevin Smith]]'s Jersey Trilogy (''[[Clerks.]]'', ''[[Mallrats]]'', and ''[[Chasing Amy]]''), altered the image of the fanboy. As electronic entertainment gained popularity, the term became increasingly applied to video gamers and television addicts. As a result, a subculture emerged which readily labeled itself as fanboys. Within this group, more effort is taken to fit in with a perceived standard, resulting in a more outgoing attitude, even among those with insecurities. This outgoing stance is often felt to be abrasive by those not involved in the culture as deeply.
Also published in 1982, a comic strip appeared in Jim Engel and Chuck Fiala's "Fandom Confidential" comic. In the strip, Jim and Chuck met comic artist/writer [[John Byrne]] and collapsed into "mindless paroxysms of adoration."  The John Byrne character responded that they were "a couple of fanboys in bondage" (a play on words referring to a [[List of Monty Python's Flying Circus episodes#10. E. Henry Thripshaw.27s Disease|Monty Python sketch]] in which an Elizabethan era character reads what she claims to be a new Shakespeare work called "Gay Boys in Bondage"). <ref>[http://www.byrnerobotics.com/FAQ/listing.asp?ID=7&T1=Miscellaneous+Questions#154 Byrne Robotics: FAQ<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> Another early use is in a smart-alec editorial reply by "[[Ambush Bug]]" to a letter in his comic in 1985.


More recently, especially in the [[video game industry]], fans of a particular [[video game console]] manufacturer have begun exhibiting slavish devotion to their brand of choice.  Conversely they hold an unreasonable amount of animosity towards the other brands which they consider to be competition.  They are extremely rude to fans of the other companies or even people who don’t hail complete and utter devotion to the object of their fanaticism.  These people seek out every opportunity to annoy others whose opinions differ from theirs.  This trend has led to the term “fanboy” deriving a more and more negative connotation.
By 1990 the term was being used in [[popular music]] and [[science fiction]] circles<ref>
[http://groups.google.com/groups/search?lr=&safe=off&num=10&q=fanboy&safe=off&qt_s=Search&as_drrb=b&as_mind=1&as_minm=1&as_miny=1981&as_maxd=1&as_maxm=1&as_maxy=1990 USENET use before 1990]
</ref>{{Failed verification|date=September 2008}}, and as electronic entertainment gained popularity, the term became increasingly applied to [[computer]]s and [[video game consoles]] - with people often developing an obsessive loyalty towards one platform or brand.  


==[[Hate]]rs==
Current subjects of such obsessive loyalty include areas of: [[TV show]]s; [[film|movie]]s; [[music]]; [[anime]]; [[comic book]]s; [[car]]s; [[furry fandom|furries]]; [[video game console]]s, [[video games]] and [[MMORPG]]s; and [[computer]] [[operating system]]s, [[computer Hardware|hardware]] and [[software]].
To oppose their passion, Fanboys are also called "haters": to hate an company, product or service. Example: [[Linux]] Fanboys are [[Microsoft]] haters; [[Xbox]] Fanboys are [[Sony]] haters.
<ref>
[http://blog.wired.com/27bstroke6/2007/11/whos-nuttier-ap.html "Who's Nuttier, Apple Fanatics or Ron Paul Enthusiasts?", Wired Magazine]
</ref>
"Fanboy" was added to the [[Merriam-Webster]] Collegiate Dictionary in 2008.<ref>[http://www.welt.de/english-news/article2186069/New_words_in_the_Merriam-Webster_dictionary_.html New words in the Merriam-Webster dictionary] [[Die Welt]] online, 7 July 2008</ref>


==Types of Fanboys==
One of the original and most famous fanboy websites is [[Ain't It Cool News]].
===[[Video game]]s===
==Fangirl==
[[Nintendo]] Fanboy, [[Sony]] Fanboy, [[Xbox]] Fanboy, [[Sega]] Fanboy, [[Personal computer|PC]]-[[graphics]] Fanboy, [[Benchmark]] Fanboy, [[Nvidia]] Fanboy, [[ATI Technologies|ATI]] Fanboy, [[Valve]] Fanboy, [[id Software]] Fanboy, [[MMORPG]] Fanboy ([[Tibia]], [[Ragnarok]], [[Final Fantasy XI]], [[World of Warcraft]]).
The term fangirl, while similar, often carries slightly different connotations - often applied to any enthusiastic female fan regardless of obsessive qualities or not, and is often used with overtones of "[[teenybopper]]". Depending on context, "fangirl" may be used or perceived as a derogatory label.


===[[Operating systems]]===
==Media==
[[Linux]] Fanboy, [[Microsoft Windows]] Fanboy, [[Mac]] Fanboy, [[FreeBSD]] Fanboy, [[Open-source]] Fanboy, [[BeOS]] Fanboy, [[Bash]] Fanboy, [[OS/2]] Fanboy.
Popular depictions of Fanboy stereotypes include the [[Comic Book Guy]] on ''[[The Simpsons]]'' and columnist [[Larry Groznic]] from the satirical newspaper ''[[The Onion]]''.  In the songs of the fannish [[parody]] [[musician]] [[Luke Ski]], many characters proudly consider themselves ''fanboys.''


===[[Music]]===
===Comic books===
[[Heavy metal music|Metal]] Fanboy, [[Nu Metal]] Fanboy, [[Death metal]] Fanboy, [[Classic Metal]] Fanboy, [[1970s]] Fanboy, [[Pop music|Pop]] Fanboy, [[Techno]] Fanboy.
*[[Sergio Aragonés]]' ''Fanboy''
*[[Galactic Storm]]'s ''Fanboy''


===[[Anime]]s===
===Television===
[[Dragon Ball]] Fanboy (gets hung up on names, especially [[romanji]]), [[Sailor Moon]] Fanboy (very strict about [[manga]] continuity), [[Inuyasha]] Fangirl (generally, they're all [[female]], but display all the traits of fanboys), and the infamous [[Narutard]].
*''[[The Simpsons]]''' [[Comic Book Guy]] refers to himself as a fanboy.
*''[[Freakazoid!|Freakazoid]]'''s [[freakazoid!#Other characters|Fan Boy]]


==In Media==
===Radio/podcasts===
===[[Comic Book]]===
*[[Fanboy Radio]]
[Sergio Arogones]'s ''Fanboy''


===[[Television]]===
===Movies===
[[The Simpsons]]'s [[Comic Book Guy]]
* [[Fanboys (2003 film)|''Fanboys'']], a 2003 New Zealand short film
* [[Fanboys (2009 film)|''Fanboys'']], a 2009 American comedy film


===[[Radio]]/[[Podcast]]s===
==See also==
Drooling FanBoy - [http://droolingfanboy.com]
* [[Addiction]]
Fanboy Radio - [http://fanboyradio.com]
* [[Brand loyalty]]
* [[Cyberstalking]]
* [[Editor war]]
* [[Anorak (slang)|Anorak]]
* [[Astroturfing]]
* [[Otaku]]
* [[Obsession]]


===[[Webcomic]]s===
==References==
[[Fanboy Almanac (webcomic)]] - http://fanboyalmanac.com
{{reflist}}


[[Fanboys]] - http://www.ngeb.net/fanboys
==External links==
 
* [http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fanboy Fanboy at Merriam-Webster]
==See also==
* [http://www.netjak.com/review.php/1013 Dissecting the Fanboy Mind] - A discussion of the fanboy behavior in regard to video games.
* [[addiction]]
* [http://palgn.com.au/article.php?id=6463 The trial of the Fanboy] - A criticism of the fanboy concept and overusage of the term.
* [[otaku]]
* [[anorak (slang)|anorak]]


[[Category:Fandom]]
[[Category:Fandom]]
{{pop-culture-stub}}

Latest revision as of 08:07, 7 June 2009

Fanboy is a term used to describe any individual who is devoted to a single subject in an emotional or fanatical manner, or to a single point of view within that subject, often to the point where it is considered an obsession.

History

According to the Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary, the earliest known use of the term "fanboy" in an English-language publication dates to 1919.[1] ? In comic book culture, a 1982 reference is to the cover of the "Official Underground and Newave Comix Price Guide". On this cover page are sketched overweight, overzealous comic book collectors wearing T-shirts that state "Fanboys of America," who are describing the extreme measures they would go to, including moving to San Francisco, to preserve their comics.

Also published in 1982, a comic strip appeared in Jim Engel and Chuck Fiala's "Fandom Confidential" comic. In the strip, Jim and Chuck met comic artist/writer John Byrne and collapsed into "mindless paroxysms of adoration." The John Byrne character responded that they were "a couple of fanboys in bondage" (a play on words referring to a Monty Python sketch in which an Elizabethan era character reads what she claims to be a new Shakespeare work called "Gay Boys in Bondage"). [2] Another early use is in a smart-alec editorial reply by "Ambush Bug" to a letter in his comic in 1985.

By 1990 the term was being used in popular music and science fiction circles[3]Template:Failed verification, and as electronic entertainment gained popularity, the term became increasingly applied to computers and video game consoles - with people often developing an obsessive loyalty towards one platform or brand.

Current subjects of such obsessive loyalty include areas of: TV shows; movies; music; anime; comic books; cars; furries; video game consoles, video games and MMORPGs; and computer operating systems, hardware and software. [4] "Fanboy" was added to the Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary in 2008.[5]

One of the original and most famous fanboy websites is Ain't It Cool News.

Fangirl

The term fangirl, while similar, often carries slightly different connotations - often applied to any enthusiastic female fan regardless of obsessive qualities or not, and is often used with overtones of "teenybopper". Depending on context, "fangirl" may be used or perceived as a derogatory label.

Media

Popular depictions of Fanboy stereotypes include the Comic Book Guy on The Simpsons and columnist Larry Groznic from the satirical newspaper The Onion. In the songs of the fannish parody musician Luke Ski, many characters proudly consider themselves fanboys.

Comic books

Television

Radio/podcasts

Movies

  • Fanboys, a 2003 New Zealand short film
  • Fanboys, a 2009 American comedy film

See also

References

  1. ↑ fanboy. (2008). In Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary. Retrieved July 7, 2008.
  2. ↑ Byrne Robotics: FAQ
  3. ↑ USENET use before 1990
  4. ↑ "Who's Nuttier, Apple Fanatics or Ron Paul Enthusiasts?", Wired Magazine
  5. ↑ New words in the Merriam-Webster dictionary Die Welt online, 7 July 2008
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