Millie Lovelock is an English graduate student at Otago University in New Zealand. Something that many graduate students stress about is their thesis, but Lovelock’s got it all sorted out. Her senior project will be focused on One Direction, the English-Irish boy band that took the world by storm back in 2011 with their debut single, “What Makes You Beautiful.”
They gained fans all over the world, very passionate fans. To give you an example of their influence on the masses, the fan craze following One Direction has been compared to that of The Beatles. Since their 2011 debut, the five, now four-member boy group has gone through a lot, including the departure of one of the members, Zayn Malik, (and his solo debut) as well as the announcement of an extended hiatus. Needless to say, there as been quite a bit of drama in the Directioner (the band’s fandom name) community. Zayn leaving the group seemed like beginning of the end, so why choose One Direction as as the subject for your thesis?
Because their rise to fame was a phenomenon, and the fans haven’t given up yet. Many loyal fans still proudly call themselves Directioners and are active members in Twitter and Tumblr communities.
This fandom is powerful, but why? In a recent interview with i-D, Millie Lovelock tells her story. The article says:
“Millie became interested in the superstar boy band when her former bandmate told her how much he got out of their movie, “One Direction: This Is Us.” Despite hardly being the target audience, he admitted he found the guys inspiring from a songwriting perspective.
Initially Millie, who also sings and plays guitar in the post-punk band Astro Children, thought this was "kind of funny". But after seeing a surge of positive online articles about the band's relationship with its fan base, she caved to her curiosity and watched the film.
Now, studying the band is Millie's job. She's come a long way from feeling indifferent toward the X-Factor alums. Today, she considers their fandom powerful enough to change lives. She argues it brings young girls together, helps them feel less isolated and serves as a tool to carve out personal identities.”
This has been the case in many fandoms, even ones that are focused on book series and TV shows. People have a common interest, and they’re brought together because of it. In turn, they feel less alone. Online communities have become a place of refuge for young people who feel like no one understands them.
“While fandoms have become an increasingly active part of pop culture, they're not a popular topic in academia. Millie thinks the broadening influence of the band and the reducing distinction between ‘high’ and ‘low’ culture helped validate her proposal to study One Direction at university.”
One Direction’s fan base, in particular, is made up of girls for the most part. Any time teenage girls are involved, the topic isn’t taken seriously. That’s why what Millie is doing is pretty awesome. Analyzing social trends and why they make people go nuts is important, and things like One Direction shouldn’t be taken any less seriously than other trends, or even other genres of music. There are reasons why people go so crazy for them.
Good luck to Millie.
