I'm Just a Caveman

I am a fan of Saturday Night Live. Two of my favorite characters are “Unfrozen Caveman Lawyer” and “Grumpy Old Man.” Phil Hartman is masterful as a formally frozen caveman who fains confusion living in our modern world, charms each jury he faces by saying “I’m just a caveman,” and wins every case. Dana Carvey is delightful as a grumpy old man who doesn’t “like things now compared to the way the used to be.” Here’s what I think he would say about being a modern-day fan:

          

          “In my day, you had to make time for shows, movies, and bands you liked. Only fans who camped out for two weeks in the snow got good concert tickets. Going to a movie was the only way you got to see your favorite actor. And if you missed your T.V. show, tough! There were only 5 channels and everyone watched an episode of a show at the same time. We talked about it later with other people, in real life, like we were part of a group. Then it was over and we waited a WHOLE WEEK for the next one -- and we liked it! But media today has messed everything up. If you miss a show these days, you can watch it later...as many times as you want. You can own movies, concerts and all the seasons of a series, and watch them whenever you want…all by yourself.  And even though you use your new-fangled computers and phones to “chat” with “friends” after watching, you can’t make an actual emotional connection when not meeting face-to-face…listen to me get all sappy about it…how did it all go so wrong?!”

          

          Media, specifically the internet, both connects and isolates fans. It allows us to communicate effortlessly with fellow pop-nerds anywhere in the world – but it also allows us to live inside a bubble. We have the power to experience only what we want to. As individuals, we don’t have to deal with learning new things if we choose not to…except humans are evolved to do just that. As infants, the first thing we can see and relate to are human faces, which increases the odds that we will be cared for and survive. Humans developed language which allowed us to learn survival skills faster from each other – we could be told what to do instead of having to be shown. Efficient communication meant we were able to function in larger groups which lead to increased safety and better access to food. And all of these things have been done face-to-face, for thousands of years. 

         

          Because of recent advances, there has been a drastic reduction in the amount of emotional and physical energy it takes to be a fan of something. Fans only need lift a finger to get access to anything that has to do with what they “fander.” They can get merchandise delivered to their door, tickets delivered to their phones, and new information from Instagram, Twitter or YouTube at any time, day or night. This instant gratification can feed our internal reward systems and make us act like we are addicted to a drug. Some of us would rather stay home than do something physical or social, like take a walk with a friend, because it may be emotionally easier and more immediately satisfying not to. The internet can connect us to others on the other side of the world but reduce our willingness to spend time with people around us.

          

          There is another way modern media has changed life for fans. As humans, we are instinctively concerned with our position in our social surroundings.  Knowing who was in charge, who was a friend, or who was a foe kept us alive as cave-dwellers. This habit is unconscious and when we have tools like Facebook handy, we can check our social “status” at any time. And just like members of a tribe, fans can “follow” their chosen cultural leaders on Twitter. And when typing is not enough to get our feelings across, we can use emojis, pictures or GIFs -- but it’s not the same. We need face-to-face interaction to fully understand each other, and if we go without it for too long, our habits can take us down a dark path. If we don’t feel validated by those we fander or social expectations of online friends are not reached, fans can start to feel like they don’t fit in anywhere, which can lead to feelings of loneliness, hopelessness, or even thoughts of leaving a social surrounding permanently because we feel like we don’t matter all that much. One way to combat such feelings is to interact with people closer to home – or with other fans at a convention.

References

Craze, Gareth (2018). Mismatch: An Interview with Mark van Vugt. The Evolution Institute. https://evolution-institute.org/mismatch-an-interview-with-mark-van-vugt/

Pinker, S. (2015). The Village Effect: How Face-to-face Contact can make us Healthier and Happier. Random House, Canada.

Click on “Congirl vs Cavegirl” above to see other blogposts. Comment below.


Up next: One show inspires tribal behavior in “Calling all Fringe-dwellers.”

© 2018 Penny Fie. All rights reserved.