*NSYNC Fans 1

Fan Group Case Study:

*NSYNC Fans

Alyssa Slocum

Entertainment and Sports Promotion 261, Section 1

Professor Karyn Rybacki

March 19, 2008

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Fan Group Case Study:

*NSYNC Fans

INTRODUCTION

There are many fan groups for *NSYNC. Although now, the band has pretty much

fizzled out with the separation of the band: especially now with Justin Timberlake‟s solo

career, and JC Chasez, following in the shoes of Justin Timberlake, cutting his own solo

career (Netglimse, 2007). Another member, Chris Kirkpatrick has been creating his own

clothing line and making guest vocal appearances as Chip Skylark in Nickelodeon‟s Fairly

Odd Parents. Then there is Joey Fatone who is working on his acting career along with

hosting with E!, and Lance Bass has been making movies and continuing on his aspirations

for becoming an astronaut (Netglimse, 2007). For the most part, *NSYNC has become an

object of the past, aside from being brought up in 2007 when Lance Bass came out,

admitting to being a homosexual.

However, just because *NSYNC has been out of the picture for a few years, it does

not mean the fans have faded away. If anything, the separation of the band has helped bring

fans closer together in hops of the individual success resulting in them returning to form

*NSYNC, much like the Backstreet Boys in 2007.

*NSYNC fans have been able to adore *NSYNC from near and far. The distance

between *NSYNC and their fans, especially with the folding of the band, has led to a wide

array of information on the fans, and how the fans continue to consume, create, and form

communities.

During *NSYNC‟s heyday, fans could consume the band in most any way imaginable.

Fans could consume *NSYNC through concerts, merchandise, Websites, contests, and the

forming of fan groups. Throughout *NSYNC‟s existence and even now that the band is

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gone the fans continue to consume. After going over how fans consume *NSYNC, there is

the matter of subversion.

Many fans of *NSYNC are creative in finding ways to meet the guys, however, for fans,

the ability to live in a world of *NSYNC is not always possible. Fans have to continue to

deal with reality, and for some fans, *NSYNC is the escape, the subversion of reality. The

subversion of *NSYNC fans are to deal with social position and status with everyday life,

serving as a distraction and escape. Then there is how fans use *NSYNC as a source of

empowerment.

For many *NSYNC fans, the band serves as a source of empowerment. The band

creates this mainly through their lyrics of their music. Fans of *NSYNC find the band‟s

lyrics empowering through their input on topics such as relationship issues. For *NSYNC

fans, the empowerment provided by *NSYNC better assists through handling the

subversion of a daily routine and helps to make it through the day.

Then there is how a fan participates, or fan performance. This includes everything from

the creating of websites, fan fiction, and slash writing. Although *NSYNC no longer exists

and their official Web page is gone, fans have not let go nearly as easily.

Fans immerge in the late *NSYNC through as many ways possible. Most fans engage

through fan performances, but fans also immerse through the concept of replication.

Another way of fantasy fans take part in is that of being on stage, having the lights beat

down, and having fans cheer and scream.

Then there is the territory of an actual and/or fictive place where *NSYNC fans engage

in their object of fandom. Sometimes this is accomplished through a multitude of visiting

the hometown of where their object of fandom grew up. With other fans, it is listening to a

CD, or to escape into a room covered in posters and memorabilia.

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After territory, is the object of meaning. For many fans, *NSYNC has a sincere meaning.

The fans find that *NSYNC covers any fan‟s taste across the board.

In addition to territory, there is the concept of identity. For many fans, his or her sense

of fashion, fun, and overall identity teeter on the decisions, tastes and endorsements of

*NSYNC. The fan‟s view his or herself through a sheer, in this case, a *NSYNC sheer. This

sheer alters and colors the way the fan reflects and cherishes his or herself.

With territories comes a social territory, or a fan group. A fan group is very unique. Each

group is a small community with at least one key thing in common. Symbols and ideology

are built from the structure built from within the fan group. For *NSYNC fans and upon

personal experience, fan groups have a world of all their own.

Finally, there are fantasies. Many fans and fan groups have their own fantasies. The

fantasies can range from meeting a celebrity and living a life of luxury all the way to a loving,

sexual one-night stand resulting in the bearing of a fortuitous love child. Fantasies have no

limits and are rarely subdued by moral obligations. For *NSYNC, the fantasies brought out

through fan groups vary across the spectrum.

Ways of Consumption

Concerts

One means of consumption for fans is through concerts. *NSYNC has had many

concerts. The most popular tour was the No Strings Attached tour, titled after the platinum

album No Strings Attached and the tour sold out nearly every arena and stadium. To a fan, it is

not astonishing that *NSYNC is capable of selling out all arenas and stadiums, if anything it

is expected; (Kinsey, 1999) one fan, Kinsey, shared:

“My parent‟s camped out at a local Kinko‟s so they could order my *NSYNC Pop Odyssey tickets through Kinko‟s computers. Our computer was having a brain fart. So, not only did they pay $80 a ticket, but also a $25 computer fee. My parents rock my world.”

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Another portion of concerts for *NSYNC, is to get to the concert. Fans can take

advantage of this too. Not too surprising, but fans do a surmountable amount of research

when trying to meet up with *NSYNC. When it comes down to concerts and for *NSYNC

fans, research and patience are a must. It is astonishing to see, in the perspective of concerts,

what lengths a fan will go (Kinsey, 1999).

“Got some flight information and went to meet *NSYNC at the airport. …Got the wrong flight info so ran to the next flight arriving from Orlando. I took off to the next gate and ended up in a van, with strangers, I‟d just met, who were also stalking *NSYNC. …The strangers and I leap out of the van just to see Joey and Justin speeding off in one of those airport golf carts. …a big white van almost plows me over. Guess who‟s inside? *NSYNC!”

Merchandise

A second way of consuming *NSYNC is through merchandise. With *NSYNC, there is

a type of merchandise for any fan and to appeal to any particular need a fan chooses to be

indispensable to his or her consumption. From paper to fabric, and books to lunch boxes,

*NSYNC has spanned the merchandise spectrum.

For some fans, purchasing magazines with *NSYNC on the cover is plenty. Partially

because, within most magazines, *NSYNC has posters of both the band and individual

members. Most of these magazines come with stories, concert reviews, biographies, and

other miscellaneous stories on the band. With *NSYNC fans, even the smallest picture of

the band is worthy to be given the same amount of praise as a poster.

Audio Visual

Another pattern of consumption for fans is through audio and visual entertainment.

This pattern is for the fans who consume *NSYNC primarily through electronic

entertainment. These forms of consumption range through *NSYNC CDs, VHS tapes,

DVDs, electronic games, and audio clips.

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For audio entertainment, fans consume *NSYNC through CDs or audio clips through

Hit Clips Micro Music System, a product by Tiger and Hasbro toys. The hit clips are a small

electronic box that, with the appropriate player, can play either a 30-second clip or 60-

second clip of the chorus from a particular song. The songs are pulled from one of

*NSYNC‟s five CDs, plus an endorsement CD with Britney Spears through McDonalds.

These five CDs are *NSYNC, No Strings Attached, Celebrity, *NSYNC’s Greatest Hits, Home

for Christmas, and the endorsed album Your #1 Requests…and More. Fans consume *NSYNC

through CDs by listening to the songs, singing along to the songs, and even escaping

through role-playing the concept of being a fan or performer. Along with the *NSYNC

CDs, fans can take the role-playing and sing-a-long a step further and purchase an electronic

game.

*NSYNC put out a couple of electronic games, one being Karaoke Plug in Play. This

game can be plugged into a television and fans can pick *NSYNC songs to sing along to.

This game comes with a microphone, which fans can sing into as they sing the songs. Along

similar lines as the Plug in Play game, *NSYNC also has a CD-ROM Game *NSYNC Hotline

Fantasy Phone, a game where fans can call *NSYNC and talk to the band and individual

members. Another electronic game is a product of Nintendo and is called Get to the Show.

The game *NSYNC: Get to the Show, puts its players in the seat of a personal assistant to

the band. This game consists of a series of time-sensitive, mini-games for players to take part

in. If a player is successful in making it to the end of the game, the player is rewarded with

the ability to control what *NSYNC does for the final concert (Yahoo Shop, 2008).

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Plastic Items

Fans can also consume *NSYNC through the plastic products. These products consist

of bobble heads, Barbie dolls, and puppets. These products, fans can acquire from

collector‟s stores, certain franchises, the official *NSYNC website, and tour shops.

First there are the *NSYNC bobble heads. These are created for fans of bobble heads

and *NSYNC fans. The bobble heads were created by Best Buy, one bobble for one band

member. Then there are Barbie Dolls.

One of the first fan specific Barbie dolls for fans was the *NSYNC fan doll. Barbie

introduced three different dolls, each with its own color scheme. One doll was pink, one was

green, and the other was orange. All three dolls came with a *NSYNC CD/DVD,

personalized *NSYNC Barbie clothes with their picture on it, and a Barbie sized backstage

pass. This Barbie served as an exclusive for not only *NSYNC fans but Barbie collectors

too. After the completion of the *NSYNC fan dolls, *NSYNC introduced something of

their own.

*NSYNC introduced their own Barbie doll to their fans with the release of the No Strings

Attached album. The dolls came as a replication of the *NSYNC members being dolls for

their number one song “It‟s Gonna Be Me.” The dolls were sold at franchise restaurants,

and after being altered, became exclusive tour items for the No Strings Attached tour. The

creation of the Barbie dolls is the reason between the introduction of the *NSYNC

marionette puppets.

Along with Barbie dolls for the fans and the dolls of *NSYNC, the marionettes are

puppets based from *NSYNC‟s “Bye Bye Bye” song, another number one from the No

Strings Attached album. Each doll is created to look like a member of *NSYNC and is crafted

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to be ten inches tall. Fans can reenact the scene from the movie, when he or she wants to

take control and make the *NSYNC members move to the fan‟s content.

Fabric Items

After the dolls is the fabricated collectables. These fabricated collectables consist of

shirts, beanie babies, blankets, CD holder, and insulated lunchboxes. These products enable

*NSYNC fans to wear support, wrap in support, carry lunches and show support, and carry

*NSYNC CDs in support.

*NSYNC fans can show their support by wearing *NSYNC‟s shirts. The shirts are

available at stores like Claires, f.y.e., Sam Goody and OnCue. In addition to the shirts being

available at stores, there are t-shirt exclusives when a fan attends a *NSYNC concert during

a tour. The shirt‟s design range from having a group photo of *NSYNC, to having

autographs, tour dates, individual members, and album covers. In addition to those,

*NSYNC also has personalized jerseys as seen during the self-titled tour, *NSYNC during

the song, “I Want You Back.”

Along with shirts, there are beanie babies. The *NSYNC beanie babies are an official

product of *NSYNC, and each beanie is for one specific band member. *NSYNC‟s beanies

come in official, transparent cases, with the name and picture of the particular *NSYNC

member on the outside of the container with the beanie inside. Along with a fan having a

beanie baby to cuddle with, *NSYNC also has their own blanket.

The *NSYNC blanket was introduced with the multi-platinum album No Strings Attached.

The blanket is the size of an average throw, and is a woven weave. Fans can enjoy the

blanket and show support for *NSYNC exceptionally well, especially with the print on the

blanket being that of the album cover for the CD No Strings Attached.

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Then there are the items that fans can carry. These items are the CD carrying case, and

the insulated lunch box. Both items are purse style, an attempt to serve as a convenience for

fans, to ensure the products use. Both items can serve multiple purposes for the fans as well.

Some other ways of fans consuming merchandise is in a miscellaneous section. The

items in this range from lip gloss and jewelry to ornaments and photo albums. Fans can

devour *NSYNC items like office materials such as pens, pencils, erasers, memo books,

folders, rulers, and sharpeners. In addition to office supplies, fans can buy into having

*NSYNC books. These books range from photo albums, scrapbooks, diaries, books of

charts, personalized member biography books, collectors tour book, stamp books, books of

sheet music, and trading card books.

Contests

Taking part in contests is another way fans consume *NSYNC. Fans can take part in

contests where they have to show off dance moves, use makeup in a unique way, look-a-

likes, and I‟m your biggest fan contests. Many of the contests are put together through

Viacom‟s MTV, VH1, Nickelodeon, magazines, and radio stations.

One way fans can try to get access to *NSYNC is through a contest of choreography.

Show Us Your Moves, is a contest where fans show off his or her best interpretation of

*NSYNC‟s choreography to a particular song. The fan with the best performance is usually

granted either tickets or a backstage pass to a *NSYNC concert, and is sponsored by MTV‟s

show TRL.

Another creative contest is the unique use of makeup contest. For this particular contest,

fans have use makeup creatively in support of a band. Two girls took part in With the Band,

because “fan” comes from fanatic, a document of ways makeup had been used creatively in

support of a musical artist (Schulte-Hillen & Sophie, 2001). The two girls used Kryolan

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Aquacolor, Bonne Bell Smackers, and Cover Girl makeup and spelled „N‟Sync‟ across their

faces (Schulte-Hillen & Sophie, 2001).

Fandom as Subversion

Musical Escape from Position

For some *NSYNC fans, *NSYNC‟s music is enough to serve as an escape from reality.

A fan‟s ability to close his or her eyes and listen to the lyrics, can serve as a passage from the

responsibilities of work and help escape into a world of fantasy. One where a fan is not

responsible for cleaning dishes, or taking orders, but rather is able to imagine he or she is

alone with a group of guys, having them serenade songs just for the fan. In regards of social

position, for a fan to escape the social position of being a waitress and having to work

beyond belief to bring in money, or for a fan to leave the pressures of living up to family

expectations in a high class family, *NSYNC‟s music serves as a bridge to the other side.

*NSYNC as a Distraction from Status

Other fans use *NSYNC as a means of distraction. For many fans, a chance to see

*NSYNC in concert is a goal, and a chance to meet *NSYNC is a dream come true!

Sometimes fans will wait by the phone and either listen to the radio or watch television for

hours on end, trying to be the winning caller. Usually, contests such as this are used as a

distraction from responsibilities. Plus, in regards of social status in this situation, to many

fans, winning an opportunity where competition is on a level playing field and social position

is not taken into account, makes winning that much sweeter.

In addition to using *NSYNC as an emotional escape by listening to their music and as a

distraction by means of trying to acquire tickets or backstage passes, there is a third way. A

third way of subversion is through role-playing.

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Escape Through Role-Playing

For some fans, role-playing serves as a full detachment from reality‟s responsibilities and

social pressure (Sandvoss, 2005). Fans can take part in role-play with other fans or by

themselves, however, if taking part in role-playing by one‟s self; fans need to be careful as

hope not to lose full bearing on reality. Role-playing enables fans to discard social pressures

like status and position and allows them to elope in a world they control. There are no rules

and are only limited by their own imagination.

Source of Empowerment

Relational Empowerment

There are relational issues. *NSYNC serves as a source of empowerment by helping fans

handle rough spots in his or her relationship. There are songs to help with dealing with a

breakup, getting back together, and the love song.

Fans can choose from a wide array of songs if needing help dealing with a breakup.

Whether the fan is the one doing the breakup or is the one being broken up with, *NSYNC

can give a fan the source of strength. For the fan initiating a breakup, songs such as “Bye

Bye Bye,” “The Game is Over,” “Just Don‟t Tell Me That,” and “See Right Through You.”

These songs have a type of aggression behind them; an aggression of wanting to know the

truth, and being fed up with the lies. The songs help *NSYNC fans, males and females alike,

although for males, it is a direct source of empowerment, and women have to adjust the

words, but for fans, the message is still the same.

Then there is the relational position of getting back together. These songs help *NSYNC

fans getting the message across, especially if the song is coming from a boyfriend to a

girlfriend. It helps the guy because he can feel *NSYNC is conveying the message he wants

to get across, and the girl can feel as if *NSYNC is singing directly to her. Some of these

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songs of empowerment are “It‟s Gonna Be Me,” “Girlfriend,” “The Two of Us,” “I Want

You Back,” and “It Makes Me Ill.” These songs vary across the board. From the songs of

slow, passive approaches of loving and missing someone, to an upbeat and aggressive

approach of being jealous of having to see the significant other with someone else, and

wanting them back.

Another source of empowerment provided through the relational issue *NSYNC

provides, is the love song. Many like the concept of having a never-ending, deeply true love,

where others are envious. *NSYNC‟s songs like “This I Promise You,” “Sailing,” and “God

Must Have Spent (A Little More Time on You).” The songs help fans feel as if their

relationship is one of a kind, and that *NSYNC has written a song specifically for their

relationship.

Fan Performances

Fan Web Pages

Fans have continued to express interest in *NSYNC, one-way fans have continued to

participate with creating fan pages. First, there are personal fan pages such as Slammin‟

*NSYNC Fan Fiction.com, Picture on my Wall.com, and Venus‟s *NSYNC Fan

Fiction.com.

The first fan page is Slammin‟ *NSYNC Fan Fiction.com. Jen, a 21-year-old resident of

Florida, created this Web page. Her page is dedicated to her own personal fan fiction of

*NSYNC.

The second page is Picture on my Wall.com, was created by Lara. Lara‟s page is setup

how many fan pages used to be arranged during *NSYNC‟s existence. Like many fan pages

that exist, her site also has a page for fan fiction. However, her Web page also has *NSYNC

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wallpapers, photos of *NSYNC in concert, and animated .gif images (Lara, 2001). In

addition to wallpapers, images, and photos, her page also has a guestbook.

Then there is the third page, Venus‟s *NSYNC Fan Fiction.com. This page was created

by Venus, a girl from Indiana. Her page is similar to Jen‟s in the aspect having her own fan

fiction posted. However, unlike Jen and Lara‟s pages, Venus also hosts fan fiction for other

*NSYNC fans (Venus). As a result, she is able to enable other *NSYNC fans to share his or

her own fan fiction to the world without the responsibility of maintaining a Web page.

Along with loyal fans having personal Web pages, fans have also created Web pages

especially for themselves and for other fans, or *NSYNC loyalists. A couple of these pages

are The *NSYNCery.com and Forever *NSYNC Fans.com. These unofficial fan pages, are

serving as a replacement for the void created by the departure of *NSYNC‟s official web and

fan page.

The *NSYNCery.com is a *NSYNC fan site. It was created by Chelle. Her fan page has

more information than most of the first pages discussed. The Web page has approximately

ten main pages attached to the main domain name (Chelle, The *NSYNCery, 2001).

Home is one of the links and is best considered as an Update Section. The Updates

Section is used to keep fans updated on the newest additions and changes to the website. It

is from this page, where access to the rest of the pages is easiest.

Then there is the *NSYNCers link. This page has five main links, each link is named and

designated after one of the five members of *NSYNC. The link of one of the members, in

this particular example, Justin Timberlake‟s link, will open an individual Web page dedicated

to him. His particular page has biography information about him, a link to his foundation, a

quiz for a fan to see how well he or she knows Justin, a survey to share what one thinks of

Justin and an obsession quiz so a fan can see if he or she is madly obsessed with Justin

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Timberlake (Chelle, *NSYNCers, 2001). Additionally, Chelle has included a link for pictures

of Justin, a link for fan fiction about Justin, an E-card link so a fan can send a personalized

Justin E-card to a friend, and special Justin Timberlake Desktop items for a fan‟s computer.

There is also an „Info‟ section. This section has links to *NSYNC in the news, which is a

link that keeps fans up-to-date with the latest news on *NSYNC (Chelle, Info, 2001). In

addition to the news, she also has links to the discography, lyrics to all of *NSYNC‟s songs,

magazine covers, tour dates, and scheduled television appearances. There is also a link to

interview and online chat transcripts.

After the „Info‟ section, there is the „Media‟ section. This section is primarily for pictures,

items for a fan‟s desktop, and AIM and MSN emoticons. The „Media‟ section is a

combination of the media files from the „*NSYNCers‟ section (Chelle, Media, 2001). The

next two sections are Fun and Fanery. The „fun‟ section is a page with links to *NSYNC

quizzes, surveys, games, and quotes. Then there is Fanery.

Fanery is the second section. This section is by far the most creative. It is all things fans!

The page has interactive links, where fans can send in photos and stories on the encounters

with *NSYNC, submit fan fiction, poetry, share dreams, leave a message on the message

board, and send E-cards (Chelle, 2001). One link on the Fanery page that is unique to The

*NSYNCery.com, is its link for pen pals. A final link on the Fanery page is the link for fan

art. Fans of *NSYNC can upload images to the site, by category, either by the individual

band member, or the band as a whole (Chelle, 2001).

The second fan page is Forever *NSYNC Fans.com. This fan site is not nearly as large as

The *NSYNCery page, but it prospers in its own way. Here, fans can have his or her own

blog, upload fan fiction, and take part in the forum of the online community (Dreamers,

2003).

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Fan Fiction

One thing all of these pages have in common is the fan fiction. The fan fictions on these

Web pages range from the very innocent of fantasizing about meeting *NSYNC in the

grocery store, to having sexual relations and tensions between the fan and two or more of

the band members. One example of fan fiction comes from Picture on my Wall.com (Lee,

2001) it is a paragraph from Larissa Lee‟s The Eiffel Affair.

“When they reached the first floor, they slipped down a side hallway and out a back door, successfully avoiding most of the fans. The few that were waiting at the back were rewarded with quick autographs from Chris. Tow of them called out to Mira, and she smiled and waved, letting them take her picture. When she first met Chris, they had snuck around more, but now, after almost two years, most of the fans knew her and accepted her. She still found it strange when they asked for her autograph though.”

This particular piece of fan fiction was very conservative compared to other pieces \

online. The second example, One Fateful Night was written by IHeartChris and comes from

Forever *NSYNC Fans.com (IHeartChris, 2003).

“„I love you too, but Chris you slept with another woman.‟ My words hit him like a ton of bricks knocking him to his senses and sending him to lie back on the bed out of mere frustration. Taking a few deep breaths, he sensed the night‟s duties that had taken place. „Why is Lance‟s cologne on your sheets?‟ His eyes squinted in an angry slant, sitting up to look me in the eyes. „He‟s the one who told you isn‟t he? I knew he was falling for you, but I was wrong to assume friendship came first between us.‟ His voice was stinging as it plagued my ears with its evil snarls. „Forget about him. Now we‟re even. I‟ve chosen you.‟ My words fell quickly as if to save me.”

Slash Writing

However, that type fan fiction is not the only type of writing fans do about items of their

fandom. Some fans perform slash writing. Slash writing is simply fan fiction where the two

characters involved are same sex and have romantic and/or sexual relationships.

Matthew Haldeman-Time, self-titled website is one of a handful of Web pages that have

slash writing on *NSYNC. His page is dedicated to slash writing and he enables others to

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upload slash writing to his page. For *NSYNC, some of the slash writing had been

combined with their rival, Backstreet Boys. The example is a piece from Matthew

Haldeman-Time. The piece is called The Politics of Full Disclosure, and is between Backstreet

Boy‟s Nicholas Carter and *NSYNC‟s Justin Timberlake (Haldeman-Time, 2003).

“He wanted Nick back, as his whatever. Sunday, Justin got on a plane and flew down to Florida. … Monday morning, he took a cab to Nick‟s house. He knocked on the front door and shoved his hands into his pockets. The door opened. Nick looked a little surprised, a little bitter, and a lot of closed off, emotionless, distant and unmoved on purpose. He didn‟t say anything either, which left the first sentence up to Justin. Instead of speaking, Justin moved forward. He got so close that Nick was either going to have to let him in or make a scene and force him out, and at that point Nick backed up just enough to let him in, clearly not liking that forced decision. Justin didn‟t care; it had gotten him inside, and now that he was in, he wasn‟t leaving until he was satisfied.”

Another example of slash writing was written solely for *NSYNC, and is titled Yeah and

was written by Matthew Haldeman-Time. The story is between *NSYNC‟s youngest

member Justin Timberlake and JC Chasez (Haldeman-Time & Matthew, 2002).

“„Yeah,‟ JC said, moaning, one hand cupping his cheek to hold him at the right angle to passionately kiss Justin. Justin pushed his hand down the front of JC‟s pants, feeling JC buck against him, feeding greedily from JC‟s shocked groan. JC was heated and hungry in his arms, kissing him passionately, and when Justin felt himself being pushed back, felt the softness of the sofa cushions beneath him, he just moaned, dragging JC closer, adjusting his grip and shuddering at the feel of JC.”

Fans in Immersion

Fan Immersion through Videos

In addition to fan sites, fan fiction, and slash writing through fan performances, fans also

immerse in concerts and the construction of their own videos. Many fans post their

*NSYNC performances on YouTube for all fans to see, share, and comment. Most all of

*NSYNC‟s fans have taken part in some type of mock performance, to envision millions of

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fans screaming out their name, or to try and score a backstage pass for best performance of

an *NSYNC song.

On YouTube, there are examples under *NSYNC fan performances. Surprisingly a large

amount of these examples is boys performing with some friends in front of a camera.

Bodacious dancing, partial stripping, and reenacting *NSYNC‟s original choreography are

just some of the ways fans behave in the video performances.

The most prominent example is found on YouTube under *NSYNC lip sync. Here,

many groups of guys, mainly middle and high school age, do performances of *NSYNC.

One of the best examples is by UHS Drama. A group of five high school aged boys perform

on a stage to *NSYNC‟s “It‟s Gonna Be Me” in front of a live audience, and superb

choreography.

A second type of fan performance is from the female fans. These performances range

from one girl belly dancing in front of a video camera, to a couple of girls dancing and lip-

syncing to the lyrics. By far, the best precision example was submitted by BBoyBuMpo. He

uploaded a clip of four girls doing the choreography to *NSYNC‟s “Bye Bye Bye.”

Territory of Engagement

A Hometown

With *NSYNC fans, the fans generally have a favorite member. In which case, when it

comes to the aspect of visiting the hometown of the object of fandom in territory, there are

five different places to visit. For Justin Timberlake fans, they would go to Memphis

Tennessee. With Chris Kirkpatrick fans, they would visit Clarion, Pennsylvania. Washington

DC is where the fans would go to visit J.C. Chasez‟s homeland. Then Joey Fatone‟s fans

would visit Brooklyn, New York, and Lance Bass‟s fans would visit Laurel, Mississippi. For

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many fans, visiting the hometowns of the members of *NSYNC is now a hopeful and

somewhat mourning experience, especially after the band‟s breakup.

Musical Territory

Another form of territory, where fans feel they can engage in a close relationship with

their object of fandom is by listening to the band‟s CDs (Sandvoss, 2005). With *NSYNC

having five albums, three of which are addressed, there is quite a selection for fans to choose

from.

Fans could get lost in the band‟s first CD that was self-titled *NSYNC. On this CD fans

could go into a subconscious territory, and indulge themselves in some ARC Weekly Top 40

songs like the only number one song “Tearin‟ Up My Heart,” or “God Must Have Spent (A

Little More Time On You),” “I Drive Myself Crazy,” and “I Want You Back.” With these

songs, fans can feel as if *NSYNC is singing lovingly and directly at them, with the songs

“God Must Have Spent (A Little More Time on You)” and “I Drive Myself Crazy.” In

addition, fans can feel as if the members of *NSYNC want them, and only them, through

the songs “Tearin‟ Up My Heart” and “I Want You Back.”

In addition, a fan can find refuge in *NSYNC‟s second and most successful, 11x

Platinum CD No Strings Attached. Fans could wander into the realm of a different world

provided through two of the CD‟s number ones, “Bye Bye Bye” and “It‟s Gonna Be Me,” or

“This I Promise You.” Two of the songs, “It‟s Gonna Be Me” and “This I Promise You”

take an aggressive or passive approach of longing for a girl, which can fulfill any fan‟s desire

of having *NSYNC call to him or her.

Then there is *NSYNC‟s Celebrity album. This album had songs like “Pop,” “Gone,” and

“Girlfriend.” “Pop” is a song where fans can escape to a fast paced world of a pop star, or in

*NSYNC‟s case, pop-band. Celebrity’s song “Gone” is yet another song of remorse of the

*NSYNC Fans 19

loss of a significant other to another, a song that a fan who has been in a relationship can

relate. The third song “Girlfriend” is self-explanatory, and what fan would not want to dive

into a world where *NSYNC was singing to her and asking her to be his girlfriend?

A third form of territory where fandom is enacted is in a room, mainly the bedroom.

Usually the room is a private room, with limited access. The limited access increases the

seclusion and the amount of interpersonal communication in the territory between the fan

and the object of the fandom.

Privacy of the Room

For the *NSYNC fans, the rooms can be covered in posters, magazine covers, album

covers, concert tickets, backstage passes, and photographs of either *NSYNC or their

favorite band member. Sometimes fans even get creative and use a scrap booking approach

to the territory by adding cut out hearts and heart frames around certain photos. In addition

to placing frames around photos, fans also cut out the photos in shapes.

Along with having the posters on every wall and/or ceiling in the room, there is always

the opportunity for a shrine. Shrines can be either in the closet or in the corner, and are in an

area where total territorial control is a must. The shrines can have pictures, love notes, and

lyrical scripts, or the shrines can go for a more extreme approach and have voodoo dolls and

some type of object touched by the *NSYNC member.

Object of Meaning

In the Members

For many fans, *NSYNC has a sincere meaning. The fans find that *NSYNC covers any

fan‟s taste across the board. The band has the cute one or Justin, to appeal to the younger

crowd, the funny guy or Joey, the dancer, Lance, the rebel or Chris, and JC who is the

*NSYNC Fans 20

songwriter (Cyzaki, 2003). Although the band is manufactured to these roles, fans can find

meaning in the members of the band, a couple examples are with Justin and Chris.

Justin is the cute one, the puppy-eyed, most girls screaming for, member of *NSYNC

(Cyzaki, 2003). Fans can find meaning through Justin‟s role through appearance and vocals.

For fans of Justin, he came from Tennessee, and did not become a famous country western

singer, but rather the heartthrob of the 1990‟s pop music culture. The meaning behind Justin

is to show that a person is not limited by one‟s demographic reputation.

Then there is Chris who fills the rebel role of *NSYNC. Chris appeals to the fans who

do not want to conform to what is the norm (Cyzaki, 2003). He shows fans that someone

can keep what makes him or her unique even while being part of a group that is commonly

viewed as one group rather than five members. Fans find the meaning Chris provides as

being one that it is okay to be a group, and that individual characteristics do not always have

to be sacrificed.

In the Band

All five of the guys carry meaning for each of *NSYNC‟s fans. However, for some

*NSYNC fans, it is not the individual meaning provided from each of the members, but

rather the meaning of the whole band, *NSYNC. Fans put faith in *NSYNC since here is a

collection of five guys from different areas, have different backgrounds, and individually

unique goals among themselves. For fans, if *NSYNC can last through the vicissitudes with

each other and the public, why can‟t we? A question asked, and during *NSYNC‟s existence,

was continually answered.

*NSYNC Fans 21

Identity Development

Self-Process

*NSYNC fans can sometimes imagine what is seen when looking at his or herself. Some

fans, males particularly adopt the routines of maintaining certain physical features that

*NSYNC band members possess. For some male fans, it is keeping the hair slightly spiked

with brown roots and red tips, like Joey Fatone. Other fans work on keeping his body in top

shape in hopes of acquiring as much attention as Justin Timberlake does when he is shirtless.

Then there are *NSYNC‟s female fans. Usually the girl fans adopt a means of behavior.

If the girls listen to lyrics, or conduct research on her favorite *NSYNC band member, then

she will process the behaviors that are sung about into her routine. They will alter how they

behave until it becomes an attribute of self-reflection.

Self-Reflection

Self-reflection is what a fan sees when looking in the „mirror‟ regardless if it actually

exists (Sandvoss, 2005). This can happen with both physical appearance and personality.

This is primarily seen with *NSYNC fans who have been researching for what the *NSYNC

members are interested in, in regards of finding a boyfriend or girlfriend.

In terms of a physical self-reflection, many male *NSYNC fans, who have worked hard

enough, and who have convinced himself, can see a *NSYNC member when he looks in the

mirror (Sandvoss, 2005). To some male fans, it is a goal strived for, and he can feel like more

girls or guys will like him better for it. However, if it becomes a force of habit, the fan will

continue to alter himself to maintain the image of the particular *NSYNC member

(Sandvoss, 2005).

Usually female fans will research a member of *NSYNC and see what it is he is looking

for in regards of a girlfriend. Because girls, and some guys, are so wrapped up in *NSYNC

*NSYNC Fans 22

members, they will take a quality a *NSYNC member likes, and apply it to his or her

situation, generally based upon at least one personal experience. Sometimes, when fans come

to believe in the attributes, fans will start to feel the attributes really are part of them, even if

it was just for one situation.

Group as a Community

Structure and Content

Fan groups for *NSYNC range from each individual member to the entire band. Some

sets of rules for fantasy *NSYNC fan groups is that no girl can have the same band member.

As a result, it usually keeps the number of fan group participants low. It is structured that

basic knowledge of *NSYNC or at least a member of *NSYNC is known prior to the

creation of the fan group.

For these *NSYNC fantasy fan groups, content is usually free reign. A member is only

limited to the boundaries of her own imagination. Members can rendezvous with Justin

Timberlake on a Caribbean getaway, or fan be in the Alps, snowed into a ski lodge with

Chris Kirkpatrick.

However, not all content of *NSYNC fan groups are centered around a sexual and

romantic rendezvous with a member of *NSYNC. Some of the content topic can span to

family members as well. Two girls who are really good friends can fantasize about having

one *NSYNC member being a brother of hers and will try to hook the member up with her

friend.

Symbols and Ideology

Fan groups take structure and content and from the two create the group‟s own set of

symbols and ideologies (Rybacki & Rybacki, 2002). Some symbols from a fan group range

from a members ability to incorporate the asterisk with the band‟s name. In addition, fans

*NSYNC Fans 23

associate colors with band members, and typically create the symbolism behind the colors

off a previous concert. *NSYNC books mean different things to fan groups too. For some

groups, a memoir book can serve as a photo album of a preconceived layout that eventually

set the fan group to its present status.

Along with symbols comes ideology or a set of principles for the group. For one fan

group in Alanson, Michigan, the *NSYNC fan group had a set of principles of all its own.

One principle was that if there was a televised *NSYNC concert, all of the girls met at a

house and watched our men perform the concert while they were away from home.

In addition to keeping the support principle, the Alanson fan group had a principle of

staying off and away from the topic of *NSYNC‟s main boy band rival the Backstreet Boys.

The only time a Backstreet Boy member could be mentioned or used in regards of the fan

group was if the purpose was to make a *NSYNC member look good.

Another rule of the fan group was to have at least one *NSYNC CD and to know the

latest and greatest *NSYNC song. For this particular fan group, it was important, especially

since the girls got together on the weekends with their collection of CDs and role-played the

fan group fantasy on the trampoline. Reenacting the popular song was key, along with

knowing some of the basic dance moves.

Fantasies

Underlying and Sustaining

Since *NSYNC has been out of the pop culture picture for so long, many of the fan

groups have since dissolved. *NSYNC fans have remained loyal to his or her individual

object of fandom, resulting in the bands lack of fan groups, so back to the *NSYNC fan

group from Alanson. For this group, like many others, during the time of *NSYNC, have

many similarities.

*NSYNC Fans 24

The group in Alanson founded their fan group based on the concept of small town girls

managing to be saved from the inner-politics of the high school run town. The girls‟ only

savior would result from an accidental turn off I-75 North towards Mackinaw City, and a

wrong turn down US-31. From there a limo would continue, and go straight at a signal light

rather than turn and would come down a dead end road. There, the limo would turn down

the driveway of a house and walk around a side hill where a group of girls were jumping on

the trampoline. From that moment, the girls and the members of *NSYNC would never be

the same. The girls would get a taste of the world of celebrity, and in return would provide

*NSYNC a sample of what small town, wholesome living was about.

This fantasy was the underlying fantasy that sprouted many other fantasies and individual

interpretations from the fan group (Sandvoss, 2005). All of the fantasies that came from the

girls in the Alanson fan group built their castle in the sky. The branching out of the girls‟

fantasies served as a sustainer for the maintenance of the fan group.

Each individual fantasy serves as tiers above the fundamental fantasy. The girls share

their stories of fantasies that they have conjured up, or that they have had with at least one

other group member. With the girls being open with the seventh heaven of their fantasies, it

helps to keep the concept of community established. This is managed by showing that even

when the group is not in session, or meeting, the love for *NSYNC is continually carried

out.

CONCLUSION

The Para-Social Relationships

There are many different para-social relationships between fans and *NSYNC. There are

the relationships between *NSYNC and their male fans, female fans, and fan groups. In

addition to the relationships between those groups and the band, there are also relationships

*NSYNC Fans 25

between those three groups and each individual band member. However, no matter how

many different relationships there are between *NSYNC and their fans, there are few

differences between.

The para-social relationships with most female fans focus on *NSYNC relationships.

Having the *NSYNC member, whether it is Justin, Chris, Joey, Lance, or JC, if not the

whole band, entangled in a relationship fantasy. An example of a para-social relationship

involving female fans is apparent with the Alanson *NSYNC fan group. The girls in the

group created many different relationships between the individual characters and the band.

The relationships ranged from friendships to actual affectionate connections.

In regards of the para-social relationship between male fans and *NSYNC, the

relationship is not nearly as affectionate as the females‟ relationship. With this particular

relationship, the guys view the members of *NSYNC as icons, or guides. For these fans,

seeing *NSYNC have millions of female fans screaming for them, it is essential, in order to

have similar reactions, he needs to resemble a *NSYNC member. The relationship created

between the guys and *NSYNC is more of a friend relationship, a close guy friend, and on

the more extreme sides, a brotherhood.

As a Public

By taking the variety of para-social relationships into account, it is plain to see that there

can be a variety of different tactics that can be used for publicity and promotional tactics.

Although *NSYNC is gone, they have managed to acquire a wide span of publics. The

success of *NSYNC‟s CDs proved that there was a fan base, and there was merchandise to

be tapped.

It is clear the publicists and promoters advantage of *NSYNC‟s popularity. Especially

since the band had mainly three CDs that were individually marketable. However it was not

*NSYNC Fans 26

until *NSYNC hit it big with No Strings Attached that merchandising to publics really hit the

fan.

Prior to the No Strings Attached album, there were *NSYNC CDs, key chains, posters, t-

shirts, and concert tour t-shirts. There were promotional hit single albums, trying to get the

music to take off, and the creation of first time trading cards. These merchandise were small,

but were promising, especially if following the Minimal Effects Model, where even the

smallest influence can have a large impact.

Then there was the release of the No Strings Attached album. This CD had more number

one songs than any of *NSYNC‟s other CDs. The producers of the music videos for “Bye

Bye Bye” and “It‟s Gonna Be Me” depicted *NSYNC through marionettes and dolls in a toy

store. Fans attached themselves to the concept, the videos being equally as popular as the

song itself. Promoters and publicists ran with the idea. To appeal to the public who favored

the concepts, *NSYNC had their own six-inch dolls and ten-inch marionette puppets. The

release of these dolls also appealed to the release of the doll collectors.

However, Barbie put a twist on *NSYNC merchandise, one of their very own. Barbie

and *NSYNC put out three, Barbie Doll brand, *NSYNC fan dolls. Barbie dolls designed

specifically for *NSYNC‟s fans. Each doll came with a small CD-ROM, and Barbie sized

clothes and backstage passes. The dolls were different in hair color, CD contents, and overall

color scheme. The two sets of dolls alone appealed to children of doll playing age, doll

collectors, puppet collectors, and *NSYNC fans.

The surge of merchandise sales helped *NSYNC build a promising image and helped

expand their fan base. It was a wise decision because it helped build hype over the

introduction of the third CD Celebrity, which assisted in *NSYNC‟s sales. However, the CD

was not nearly as popular as No Strings Attached had been.

*NSYNC Fans 27

*NSYNC‟s publicist and promoters played the cards right. They managed this by giving

*NSYNC the highlife of the career at just the right point. After the CD Celebrity, the band

separated with the five members going his own direction. If it was not for the strategy and

implementation of the publicist and promoters to the wide array of publics, *NSYNC and

*NSYNC‟s fans may not have been able to create the consumptions, subversions,

immersions, and fantasies that existed.

*NSYNC Fans 28

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