More Than a Few Seconds: 10 Details about 5 Seconds of Summer and Their Fans

One thing I've noticed while scrolling 5 seconds of summer on Tumblr, is the mass of quote pictures that are like fragments of thoughts. Everything they say is kept as a digital memento, and shared by hash tag over and over again.

The first thing to do while joining a fandom is learn everything down to favourite food, favourite colour, and recent ex girlfriend/boyfriend. You get to know these people the same way you would your favourite character in a novel; by reading what someone else wrote.

In their song "She Looks so Perfect", 5 Seconds of Summer aligned themselves with the American Apparel brand simply by using them as a description for what they're singing about. Once a brand (or anything with its own image) is dropped into a song, the artist is automatically linked to the image of the brand.

One Direction's fan base is a force all it’s own. They are creative and dedicated, and once 5SoS set themselves side-by-side with 1D, the fans followed. But the fans didn't follow blindly, and they rarely do, because they opened up a space for these boys on purpose.

Following a group means following every little bit of news that comes out. Social media has fans waiting, not for the next article published by Rolling Stone, but for the next tweet or post. It gives fans the feeling of no middleman, no editing, and no leading questions. It's raw and straight from the band.

Derp definition:
clamation
1.
used as a substitute for speech regarded as meaningless or stupid, or to comment on a foolish or stupid action.
"Lower tax rates and far lower job creation. Derp"
noun
1.
foolishness or stupidity.
"the derp heard outside apparently was only the tip of the iceberg"

5sos wants you to embrace your awkwardness, and there is no shield of "cool" here. Embracing the silliness and awkwardness is somewhat of a resistance to the once popular emo aesthetic.

Like the boys of One Direction, a mythology is being built in the fictions written about the band members of 5sos. Word after word, they fit into the lives of fans not just with music, but with the stories the fans create for each other

Just like the fan fiction, fan art is created out of a passion (maybe obsession) for this band. Everything from pencil sketches to well crafted paintings, reveal the faces of 5SoS.

Unique, hand crafted items inspired by a band have taken the place of old school band merch. It's about being who you are in the fandom, not wearing the same t-shirt as everyone else.

5SoS covered Blink 182's "Miss You", and Blink fans weren't too happy about it. From day one of my 5SoS awareness, I could tell there was some influence from Blink 182. So what's the big deal? They're simply paying homage to their musical ancestors.