Lady Gaga and her Little Monsters changed the game.

[HolyDelRey 21,101]

Today we have Beliebers, Swifties and Directioners. But the Little Monsters were cultivated in a way we hadn't seen before.

But it wasn't until the summer of 2009 that these aforementioned kids were given a name: "Little Monsters", which she began calling out to the crowd during her live shows. Giving a whole fandom a nickname of sorts was already commonplace in K-pop, but Gaga was the first to do it on such a grand scale in a western context – using it to describe the way fans would writhe, scream and dance in the pits of her high-octane performances. Naming her fans did two things. First, it created an "us" and "them" narrative. You were either a true Gaga fan, or you weren't. And second, it grouped them all together in a way that made sense online. For a generation of kids who existed on the internet, being a Little Monster meant more than going to a few gigs. It meant having a support network of like-minded people from around the world that you could interact with, like an extended family. Finally, there was a name for all the people who spent their waking hours immersed in the online world of Lady Gaga; one that was getting bigger by the year.

This formation quickly created a new blueprint: Bieber fans dubbed themselves, "Beliebers", Taylor got her "Swifties" and the "Rihanna Navy" formed. But Gaga was the first. Professor Mathieu Deflem – who wrote book Lady Gaga and the Sociology of Fame and dedicated an entire university course syllabus to her influence – agrees that Gaga's effect on fandom culture in this way is notable: "I would say that Gaga has at least facilitated this process for other pop stars and celebrities," he says. "Other stars now constantly name their fanbases – so much so that the effect is kind of wearing off. That also means that there is only one Lady Gaga, and that the impact of imitating her or adopting her various strategies are limited."

This is precisely why Gaga's blueprint is genius. In weighing in with selfies, memes and the occasional heartfelt post at the same time as being the kind of global icon that can sell out arena tours in seconds, she has molded herself into the ultimate pop star paradox: she can release a self-aware comment on fame like "Paparazzi", yet you can also imagine getting ****-faced on whiskey with her and setting the world to rights on someone's sofa at 3AM. It takes more than a meat dress and a few hair bows to curate a fanbase as rabid yet unwaveringly loyal as Little Monsters. Many stars have tried, but without understanding the sense of extended identity that comes from these fan labels. Nobody does it like Gaga.

Full Article - https://noisey.vice.com/en_uk/article/pakq59/lady-gaga-online-fandom-culture-little-monsters?utm_source=noiseyfbenglish

[John Wayne 4,504]

Iconiqué fanbase

[Teal Ambition 47,805]

Nothing but respect for MY president 

[Irrelevant 20,282]

We also have the best names, that actually isn't based off the artists name 

[GeeYewWhai 2,382]

[Teal Ambition 47,805]

4 minutes ago, Irrelevant said:

We also have the best names, that actually isn't based off the artists name 

Tbh, at least it's original 

[BBhomemaker 5,611]

YAAAAASSS 

[Sorcerer 12,507]

The original legendary fanbase

We are not just a fanbase. We are a family and a home headed by an incredibly talented mother.

[bloody g 31,746]

I love how even though we have receipts, the other fanbases call us delusional for saying stuff like this 

[Gagadonna 10,801]

Queen of inventing fanbases 

[Gagadonna 10,801]

16 minutes ago, Irrelevant said:

We also have the best names, that actually isn't based off the artists name 

"Little Monster" is cringeworthy tho 

Edit: keep excuse-me-no-ing i like that 

[TheCureinMalibu 45,913]

Just now, Gagadonna said:

"Little Monster" is cringeworthy tho 

[ryanripley 86,575]

3 minutes ago, Gagadonna said:

"Little Monster" is cringeworthy tho 

 

OT: i can't stop thinking about Trekkies  

[beboskoukla 839]

[joanoflark 3,824]

Paying respect where it's due 

They're finally catching up