By Gianna Murphy
It’s no dramatisation to say that the current state of the Western world politically is filled with mixed views and opinions on minority communities, some of which are affecting the lives of people already in vulnerable positions in society.
Fandom culture has been around since the early 20th century, and the number of people involved in these fandoms unsurprisingly always seems to skyrocket during times of political unrest or uncertainty, and what better way to describe 2025 than just that? With the lives and rights of transgender people hanging in the balance, the unlawful deportation of primarily Mexican individuals over on the other side of the pond, it’s not surprise that online spaces are becoming more populated than usual. Everybody everywhere needs some form of escapism.
Now the fun thing about fandoms is that anything or anyone can have a fandom. From books, films, celebrities, video games, if there’s a piece or source of entertainment, and a community surrounding it, that can quite easily become a fandom. Lana Fox is a social media personality from Brazil, and she’s generally considered an expert in the fandoms she’s involved in, having gained over 20 thousand followers across different social media and in different fandoms. “I like that it’s a space where I can talk about things I love and find other people who love it too,” she says. “It can also be a nice distraction from the outside world, especially when things are too much or too bad, or if you just need a break and want to focus on something that brings you some joy.”
The need to find somewhere to escape from the real world has existed online since the internet began and grew to exponential levels during the Covid 19 pandemic. However, with the current state of the world, we are once again seeing these drastic levels of resurgence following global elections, and new laws coming into place. Most notably, on the 16th April 2025, the UK Supreme Court ruled that the legal definition of a woman is based on biological sex, a ruling that massively affects the lives of the transgender community. Following this decision, protests broke out across the country, beginning in St. Peter’s Square in Manchester, and moving further down south to London and surrounding cities. With not only local, but global reports of similar situations and laws being passed, it’s no surprise that people are turning to social media and online communities to hide for a while. Lana revealed that it’s “easier to find and connect with people in fandom spaces because most of them come from minority groups.”
Lana, the fandom mogul, switches fandoms and social media pages after around two years. Whether it’s out of boredom, or just to cover all bases, the experience and expertise she’s gained from this habit have placed her in a higher position of knowledge than most people who’ve only stuck to one or two fandoms.
Chlo Bayleaf, another fandom expert, this time from the UK, who has been posting under the account rwrbayleafs on Twitter/X since 2018, provides a little more insight into the fandom escapism scene. “I think that fandom culture is definitely queer coded because it’s literally groups of people that are a bit different but relate to each other because they have similar interests. It feels kind of homely to us.”
“The world at the moment is terrible, and whilst ignoring the facts and being passive about that isn’t the way forward, having something to look forward to and talk about when the future of the world is so dim allows people to have a modicum of hope and optimism.”
While a lot of fandom culture and the experience of it has been reported to be positive, it seems a lot of people happen to be out to ruin it for others. Chlo bravely revealed that she’s quite worried that “fandoms are going to be obsolete soon— too much toxicity and drama, and with the downfall of Twitter, soon enough people are going to lose hope and touch. The world is becoming too scary and dark for this to continue, though I do hope I’m wrong here.”
Fandom culture is incredibly important to everyone who’s a part of it, and leads to further passions being explored— fan art, fanfictions, even meeting up with the people you speak to online, and becoming friends outside of the fandom. It’s something that most people hold quite sacred, especially in areas of the world where fandoms are the only kind of hope that people have left to hold on to.
In this ever-worsening political climate, the importance of fandoms and the communities surrounding them have become more important than ever, giving some semblance of hope to people who otherwise have none. So, if you have a favourite book, movie or anything you could possibly think of that you’d prefer to speak about than politics, have a look online, see if you can join a fandom, or, if there isn’t one available, create one! It’s more important than ever before to give yourself something to hold onto.
For more information on the history and importance of fandoms, listen here.
