Talk:Episodes, films, and shorts/@comment-1031724-20160402204502/@comment-24245960-20160402210718

I'm pretty new around here, so I may not be the best qualified to try to answer this, but...

It seems to me that it's a matter of perspective.

From my perspective being a member of the fandom means that I am more emotionally invested in a franchise and I watch its new installments with a more discerning eye than the casual fan.

From the perspective of outsiders, it has always seemed to me that they think being a member of a fandom means we have to all dress up in cosplay and clown around in public while people point and laugh at us. Of course I don't think this is fair and it is indeed a stereotype, but it's just my perception that this is what other people think of fandoms as a collective.

So I guess not being in the fandom would be someone who just watches the show and enjoys it, but doesn't participate in the fan community in any way and likely would be reluctant to admit they even watch the show, perhaps out of fear of being labeled with that stereotype.