Theoretical Foundations of Political Fandom

This chapter conceptualises political fandom as a distinct mode of political engagement emerging at the intersection of celebrity politics, digital media, and affective participation. Driven by media personalisation, emotionalisation, and social media practices of self-disclosure, the processes of celebrification of politicians foster parasocial bonds that transform constituents into fans—or anti-fans. Political leaders can be compared to stardom celebrity figures, whose relationships with followers resemble those between stars and fans. The chapter identifies four key dimensions of political fandom: consumption, production, affect, and community. Consumption and production can be seen as a continuum: fans consume contents related to political leaders, and some of them are also engaged in content creation (e.g. memes, fan pages, and remix practices). The dimension of affect plays a relevant role in fandom, including positive emotions towards the leader as well as playfulness and irony; these dimensions are often connected to fans’ participation in digitally networked communities. These practices expand repertoires of political participation by incorporating entertainment, identity performance, and emotional attachment. The chapter concludes by outlining theoretical implications for the study of populism, polarisation, and democratic representation, highlighting how fan communities can both amplify leaders’ visibility and introduce new forms of audience-driven accountability.