Can people be objective when it comes to those they love and care about? More specifically, to be aware of their biases and set them aside for the sake of keeping facts straight. In the case of fans, are we capable of having serious conversations or to create content without our emotions affecting the validity of our arguments? Likewise, are professionals — such as journalists — inherently unreliable when the subject of their work is someone they are a fan of?
Fans and Bias
Everyone is biased towards those they care about, this is true in any context and profession. A fan has strong feelings attached to the subject of their enthusiasm; this usually makes it difficult to be objective.
While not every bias is harmful on its own, it’s important to recognize them and to be aware of how they affect the way we behave and think. As fans, we must be particularly careful when it comes to confirmation bias. It’s easy to accept something favorable as true and to distrust anything that could be damaging. We need to consider both sides critically.
We all subscribe to different narratives — stories that we believe in and support our points of view. These stories tend to color our thoughts and behaviors without us realizing it. On a personal level, we create a story of who we are, our journeys, values, and things we love or hate. Similarly, we create or adopt other people's stories about those we admire. These narratives shape us as people, and can’t be free of bias.
Fans and Professional Settings
What happens when a fan wants to — or is asked to — approach their interests as a part of their job? Can they perform their tasks as they would with any other topic? While any type of professional could be a fan, in this case, we can focus on journalists, scholars, and researchers since they are the ones ARMY encounters on a regular basis. In these professions, objectivity and accuracy are the essences of their trade and can’t be taken lightly. Could unconscious biases affect the validity of their work?
Even with rigorous fact-checking, the same facts tell a different story depending on how the author chooses to present them, as well as their unconscious biases about the topic. Therefore, the expectation of a fully unbiased professional is unreasonable. This begs the question, would a fan bias be any more problematic or difficult to neutralize than other biases their peers may have?
If the professional adheres to the codes of ethics and makes sure their sources are reliable and accurate, it should be worth it to consider them to do the job.
In fact, one could argue that a fan could potentially possess a richness of nuanced knowledge that others might not have access to. It’s still up to their employer to decide if this is what they want and if it’s appropriate for their particular professional setting. However, it’s fair to consider the necessity of the fan expertise when many “objective professionals” consistently push uninformed narratives that are evidence of other sorts of biases or agendas going unchecked.
Fans and Objectivity
On the other hand, there are regular fans. There isn’t a clear code of ethics to follow, and a lot of the enjoyment comes from indulging in the fan narrative. In this case, how necessary is objectivity for the average fan? Furthermore, could objectivity take away from the fun of the fan experience?
There’s a time and a place for everything. When it comes to concerts, sharing memes, or moments of strong emotions like a heartfelt speech, fans don’t need to be overly concerned with objectivity. However, when it comes to serious matters, it is a different story. Fans, before anything else, are people with personal values defined by much more than just one of their interests. Whenever serious conversations must happen, fans should try their best to be aware of their own biases and seek the truth, rather than clinging to comforting narratives.
We should be aware that many try to dismiss fans on the grounds that we are incapable of being objective as a quick excuse not to acknowledge our complaints. It would serve us well to learn how to construct solid arguments that keep our biases at bay and to notice when others are letting theirs guide their judgment.
In the end, we’re all biased. As fans, we might have a more rose-tinted view of those we admire, but that doesn’t mean we aren’t capable of being critical. It is important to cultivate a healthy relationship with objectivity; we can strive for accurate facts without assuming that an absolutely unbiased state is a feasible end goal.
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Written by Rebeca
Edited by Mheer
Checked by Aury
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