The One Direction Connection: 10 Reasons why 1D's Fan Base is as Famous as they are.

Thousands upon thousands of words have been written around the names of these boys, and in every scenario you can imagine. There's something about them that has fan writers hitting the keyboard every hour, writing their own stories, and filling requests for stories by fans.

One Direction fan art ranges from doodles to full-on artistic masterpieces. Some artists spend weeks on sketches making sure they do not miss a hair on Harry's head. Some of these drawings seem to pull out the personalities of these boys better than any professional photographer could.

There are a few writers on Tumblr and other corners of the internet who write 1D fiction upon request. Sometimes, readers are looking for something personal, maybe a fantasy that seems far more solid than a daydream because it has been read. The stories are everywhere, and there's something in between the closeness and the distance of this band, and between them and their fans, that makes great fiction.

The boys are really good at updating social media, sharing photos, and most importantly, respecting their fan base. It's the feeling that you could easily be friends with any one of them that leads to the connection that creates all of these artistic creations in their name.Their fans are re-creating their history and their legend every single day with every single post.

The boy bands of the late 90s, NSync and the Backstreet Boys, were massive. They had finely crafted images which led to corny facial expressions and sync'd up dance moves. The internet was around, but the fiction, the social media, and the fan connection wasn't as fierce, so there wasn't as much back-and-forth between the fans and the groups. The members of One Direction are lucky in their time, because they get a public response to everything they do. This means no more drama faces and choreography, because they know what their fans really want, and that's a glimpse of their personalities in the real without industry-made hyper masculinity.

Every tattoo, every hint of body language, every friendship, everything that has a meaning in the social has been dissected by their fans. This might seem creepy, but it's really something people do everyday because it's a way of judging how we (ourselves) should behave around these meanings. Their photos and videos are shared, discussed, and argued upon, not only for them but for the meanings all around us. The discourse is not just chatter, it's a powerful way of changing how we think and feel, and this could mean change for society.

Recently, One Direction released (it was leaked a day before) their new song "Steal my Girl". The sound is different, even prompting Billboard to call it a great rock song. If they stay on this track, re-creating themselves musically, they might have far greater staying power than their hair gel covered, boy band ancestors.

Their tours aren't just enjoyed by ticket holders, they're watched from computer screens around the world. From start to finish, these tours are like dramas where every scene is built upon by videos, photos, and fan posts. The fans are along for the ride, and in these times, it's far different from hopping in a van and physically following a tour from town to town.

Their legacy will not only exist in their music and magazine covers, it's going to be found in the words written, and pictures drawn by fans. Every feeling pulled out of meaning comes from the world around the fan (Fiske), bringing what seems so far away and unattainable closer to home. Through these creations, the stage is torn down and the boys are levelled so that they fit into our lives perfectly. They live under a large myth, and the pieces of this will live on.

The internet plays a key role in fame these days, and the use of it means that the love of a band is much more than just the music. Social media has fans finding each other, sharing with each other, and even sharing with the band. A whole new world of fandom opens up on Tumblr, where fans are not only seeking information about the group, but looking to see what everyone else has to say. The fans have control over polls and commentary, which has led to nominations and awards.