Since television was invented, there have been fans of programs. However, with the rise of the Internet and social networking, a new type of fan has emerged, someone who is part of a “fandom.” A fandom is essentially a group of fans that often have a community associated with it. Fandoms can get a little insane, and they love nothing more than talking about and analyzing their favorite shows, characters or actors. Here are some of the most active fandoms on the Internet.

1. “Supernatural” 

To be honest, I’ve never seen “Supernatural,” mostly because I’m slightly afraid of its fandom. They’re incredibly active on the Internet, especially on Tumblr. They’re known for being able to relate almost every post on the Internet to “Supernatural,” and they’re almost impossible to avoid. There’s a ton of fanfiction related to “Supernatural,” and they make really pretty graphics and gifs. The thing that really turns me off about the “Supernatural” fandom, however, is that many of them “ship” (as in want two characters to be romantically involved) incest. They love the idea of the two brothers together, and that just really freaks me out. I’m sure it’s a great show, but sorry SPN, you’ve scared me away.

2. “Doctor Who” 

The “Doctor Who” fandom is as old as the universe (or as old as 1963). The “Whovians” saw a resurgence in 2005 with the revival of the show. Whovians typically enjoy sci-fi and British television. There’s a huge discrepancy between fans of the first writer for the revival, Russell T. Davies, and Steven Moffat, who took over the show in season five. It seems like the fandom has mainly devolved into Moffat hate and lamenting over the loss of RTD. But if you like attractive British boys and girls, “Doctor Who” is the show for you.

3. “Sherlock” 

The “Sherlock” fandom makes up the third part of the overarching “Superwholocks” (“Supernatural,”  “Doctor Who,” “Sherlock”). The Sherlockians really, really love Benedict Cumberbatch. A lot. They also had to wait several years in between seasons, and as a result of that they made some really ‘creative’ (i.e. crazy) graphics and posts on Tumblr. They missed their show a lot. Sherlockians also really, really want Sherlock and John to date. Very badly.  Also their fanfiction is very entertaining.

4. Whedonverse 

The Whedonverse encompanies everything created by Joss Whedon. This includes “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” “Firefly,” “Angel” and “Dollhouse.” Joss Whedon’s groupies, known as Whedonites, essentially love everything he creates. The “Buffy” fandom is particularly active, which is impressive for a show that has been off the air for almost 11 years. Whedonites follow Joss’ every move and always look forward to his next creation.

5. “Veronica Mars”

The “marshmallows” proved how powerful they are when they raised the total goal of $2 million in under 12 hours to fund a movie. The campaign on Kickstarter, funded by 91,585 backers, raised $5,702,153 in a single month. Since then, the fandom has seen a strong revival in its Internet presence. The movie comes out March 14, so get excited.

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