This first instalment of Miriam Strong’s personal series Fandom captures the intoxicating joy, excitement and sense of belonging felt before, during and after a Taylor Swift concert in Vancouver, Canada. This ongoing series examines the most nuanced corners of social engagement.

“Fans,” derived from the word fanatics, is a social phenomenon that shapes culture, community, and atmosphere. Fans create history by living within that history, simultaneously developing and reflecting a cultural zeitgeist.

The digital age has birthed the idea of “modern fandom,” a term used to describe how fandom has evolved through connectivity. This has allowed fans to act quickly, aggressively, and effectively to form what have now become global movements, such as the self-proclaimed ‘Swifties’ and the K-Pop ‘Army’ (Miriam’s next endeavour with this series). In a world where devotion is the currency, fandom is deeply intertwined with a sense of identity. Fandom has the power to ruin lives, cause political swings, establish communities, radicalise, and normalise certain behaviours.