Global Fandom: Simone Driessen (The Netherlands)
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What does it mean to be a fan in the Netherlands? That is a challenging question to answer: in our global world today, is fandom not inherently a part of globalization? And do local traditions or cultural elements still matter to (young) fans? In this statement and discussion, I look forward to exploring these subjects through the lens of music fandom in the Netherlands. I wish to argue that being a fan in the Netherlands is both a global and local experience.
The Netherlands is a small country with a population of about 17 million people. Despite a flourishing film/TV- and music industry, much of the media entertainment content consumed is American or British. Additionally, with a high level of internet penetration (about 95%), the Dutch know how to find their way around online. They are avid users of Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok. So, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that fandom in the Netherlands isn’t tied to its local borders. To better understand fandom in the Netherlands it is key to understand the roles of globalization and language in Dutch culture. Although I will examine these factors more in-depth by using music fandom as an example, drawing on my own research into long-term music fans, let me start with a recent anecdote about Dutch sports fandom.
When thinking about ‘fandom in the Netherlands, the first thing that popped up in my mind was orange, the color. In September 2021, the global Formula 1 (F1) Grand Prix took place on the racing track in Dutch beach town Zandvoort. With the Dutch soccer team not performing very well for the past few years, many sports fans found a new favorite pastime in watching F1, particularly with the young successful Dutch driver, Max Verstappen, taking part in the race. Despite the global pandemic, thousands of visitors were allowed on the track. So, the “Orange Army” showed up: dressed in orange – the ‘national’ color of the Netherlands, or with a Dutch flag to show their support for Verstappen. Imagine a sea of orange shirts, orange wigs, orange smoke bombs, etcetera. Now, the Dutch idiom of ‘doe maar normal dan doe je al gek genoeg’ (‘just act normal, that’s already crazy enough’) didn’t apply for the duration of the race! It was a remarkable sight to see this expressive crowd, dressed up in their national color, and attending the race in these pandemic times. Of course, this example resonates with other events in sports fandoms: think of World Championships where people also dress in their country’s colors to support their team. Although this tradition is not unique, it is telling of how fandom reflects localness while simultaneously expressing a sense of being part of ‘the global’ (i.e., a sports competition, or the community of football or racing fans at large).
Dutch Backstreet Boys fans, waiting to enter for the band's concert held in 2015, in one of the bigger music venues in The Netherlands called Ahoy (in the city of Rotterdam)
To dive a little deeper into the complexities of the local and global in Dutch fandom I turn to my own turf: music fandom. My research examines how Dutch music fans become and remain fans of (inter)national musicians. For example, I interviewed (now adult) fans of the Backstreet Boys, who have been fans of the boy band since their early success in the 1990s. When most of these fans became fans, they were in their late childhood or early teens (aged somewhere between 8 and 16). During the Backstreet Boys heydays, the band regularly appeared on Dutch (children’s) TV and was often featured in Dutch pop magazines. Now, one might wonder: how were these young fans able to follow this American, English-speaking and -singing band when the fans’ main language was Dutch? Moreover, why was this American group so successful in a small country like the Netherlands? By answering these questions, I aim to illustrate how Dutch music fandom is influenced by the process of globalization. Yet, also how it shaped by social and cultural practices in the Netherlands.
Let me start with clarifying the second question, before returning to the first. While much of the media entertainment broadcasted in the Netherlands is ‘Dutch’ – spoken and produced locally, foreign media content is highly popular too. Particularly media products from the United States and United Kingdom. As media scholar Jaap Kooijman described in his 2013 book ‘Fabricating the Absolute Fake: America in Contemporary Pop Culture’, the Netherlands always had a special connection to the US. Like many Europeans, the Dutch grew up with Disney movies, Hollywood productions, and American music – like that of the Backstreet Boys. This popularity of American pop culture offers a shared point of reference for many people. That was also the case for these very young teens who witnessed the band’s performances in popular (children’s) TV shows or heard them on the radio. In a way this signals the influence of globalization, but perhaps even more so the process of Americanization in the Netherlands.
Now, to return to that first question I posited, ‘how were these young fans able to follow an international band (or media product) when the fans’ main language was Dutch’? Unlike neighboring country Germany (or nearby country France) where foreign media content is dubbed, in the Netherlands media products are broadcasted in their original language. They do receive subtitles. Through this cultural (and somewhat economic) practice young children learn English at a young age. They also officially already acquire a basic level of English at elementary school. During the interviews I conducted with Dutch fans of the Backstreet Boys fans often spoke about how becoming proficient in English at such a young age mattered greatly to their long-term fandom. They considered it very helpful to understand the band’s lyrics, but this also allowed them to read about the band or watch short interviews on television. Some of the fans who were in their ‘older teens’ in the 1990s (14-15 years old) indicated they for example translated English material from the band’s original website for other fans. One of the interviewees fans even started her own Dutch fan forum, to make information about the band accessible to fellow fans in the Netherlands. Other fans talked about becoming members of global forums, which led to creating friendships across the world. And many of those friendships remained for life: some of these interviewees mentioned meeting up with those international friends (in their now adult years) at one of the Backstreet Boys cruises and concerts abroad. So, this emphasis on language demonstrates how the practice of learning a new language (because of the local practice of not dubbing content too!) can potentially increase one’s fandom experience.
Now, these are just a few, very brief observations about fandom in the Netherlands. These examples offer an insight into how local and global elements play a role in Dutch music fandom. I have briefly reviewed how American pop-culture influences Dutch fandom and how local practices and language are key features in the music fandoms that I studied. I am curious to learn of comparable or contradicting practices elsewhere (e.g., what is the influence of language elsewhere?). Of course, there is much more to discuss and share about Dutch fandom too (e.g., Dutch music fans like to travel because artists don’t always visit the country, how is that for fans in other countries?). Furthermore, I look forward to reviewing the position of Fan Studies in the Netherlands (often part of Media & Communication Studies programs) and compare this to other countries.
Simone Driessen, Ph.D. is a senior lecturer and researcher in Media and Communication at Erasmus University Rotterdam, in the Netherlands. In her PhD she examined how and why fans remained fans over time and publishedthese findings in multiple journals and books. In addition to exploring why fans continue their fandom, Simone currently researches why fans discontinue their fandom.
