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The Merriam-Webster definition of fandom is, "the state or attitude of being a fan of something, such as a sport, a genre, or a celebrity." While the Cambridge dictionary goes even further to say a fandom is, "the state of being a fan of someone or something, especially a very enthusiastic one, or a group of such fans." Now that we have an accurate understanding of what a fandom is, we can discuss how you see tribalism amongst fandoms on platforms like Instagram and TikTok.

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Tribalism is a strong sense of belonging and loyalty to one's group. You see tribalism in political situations, the LGBTQ+ community, etc. These are all communities you would expect to see and have an easy tell that there is tribalism present. However, tribalism is also present in lesser-known communities just like fandoms. On Instagram and TikTok, people who are passionate about certain shows, movies, celebrities, or sports typically can go so far as to create social media fan pages on these platforms. So when these fandoms create those pages and either give updates on the thing they love or create edits for it, they are finding common ground with other people. You get to support other people while sharing love for the same things. Therefore, having a sense of belonging on these platforms with a designated group that shares your same interests and quirks.

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Example of a fandom editor going to YouTube to share how to create their edits for TikTok

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Algorithms, content, and social dynamics contribute to the reinforcement of echo chambers and tribal communities because they show us exactly what we most regularly view. With an echo chamber, the algorithm is set up to show you similar videos to ones you have liked previously or engaged with. While tribal communities, half the time you are searching to see it because it is something you find belonging to. In fandoms, when you first create an account on Instagram or TikTok you are most likely going to search up a hashtag or the fandom name you are in, so that you can find other people with the same interests, along with seeing that content, because that is what you make a fan page for. Once you search something up like that, the algorithm consistently shows you what you have searched and engaged with, furthering your position in that community and backing up the idea of tribal communities.

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Specifically, in the sense of fandoms social and emotional effects of a tribal community are more common. You are either in a space that you love and are extremely supported because it is your group of people. Or you find yourself on the wrong side of your algorithm and potentially see someone saying negative things about the thing you love, which puts you in the outrage algorithm cycle. You want to defend it to the moon and back, but it causes anger and frustration when the point of a fandom is to enjoy yourself. Those effects are also just social and emotional effects of echo chambers and tribal communities in general. You get very emotionally invested in platforms sometimes to the point it messes with your outlook on your real-world day.

We can hopefully mitigate this through cutting back on social media time, or avoiding confrontational situations online that you know will upset you.

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Based on my YouTube history (other than all the videos I watch for school), you can probably assume one or two things about me. I'm in a fandom tribal community that specifically relates to Markiplier. Along with that, I thoroughly enjoy country music. All of the videos I have watched purely for entertainment were ALL videos created by Markiplier, or the occasional listen to a country song. With the way my history is built upon new Markiplier videos and old videos that I have rewatched multiple times, it could suggest that I am such an enthusiastic fan that I could be part of a tribal community because I would be in a fandom for him. This is not something I am particularly upset with because, personally, it is something I find great joy in. I just find it interesting that I did not even expect that I would only find his YouTube videos in my history.

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This quite literally dates back past 2023... do I have a problem?