# Introduction When discussing "fans," we must first carefully examine the meaning of the term and how it carries different connotations and value judgments in various cultural contexts and settings.
The term "fan" itself is somewhat ambiguous in its origin and meaning. It is a transliteration of the English word "fans." Before it was widely adopted by the media and academic circles, some scholars used alternative translations, such as mi（meaning "enthusiast"), or translated "fan fiction" as fěn fēi kè.In English, "fan" is short for "fanatic," a word that has its roots in the Latin term "fanaticus."
According to Henry Jenkins, the term originally referred to someone who "belongs to a temple, a servant of the temple, or a devout worshipper," but soon took on a more negative meaning, referring to someone "possessed by excessive zeal, influenced by secret sexual rites of worship" (Oxford Latin Dictionary). Over time, "fanatic" transitioned from describing excessive religious fervor to denoting any "excessive or inappropriate enthusiasm." It was often used in a derogatory way, especially in political contexts, and more broadly associated with "madness caused by possession by gods or demons" (Oxford English Dictionary).
Thus, from its inception, the word "fan" carried connotations of extreme, irrational zeal, even invoking metaphors of sorcery or cults. Its current use to describe "fans" was originally laced with mainstream society’s ridicule and disdain toward enthusiasts of sports and the arts. What exactly defines a "fan"? Technically speaking, "fan" is an identity that is difficult to clearly define. Sociologists Nicholas Abercrombie and Brian Longhurst categorized cultural consumers based on their emotional investment, distinguishing "consumers," "fans," "enthusiasts," and "petit producers." These categories are defined through specific behavioral traits. In essence, the transition from "consumer" to "petit producer" reflects a deepening emotional engagement with cultural products, with fans increasingly identifying with and loving the content. The leap from "enthusiast" to "petit producer" marks the point where consumers begin using cultural works as raw material for their own creative expression, thus entering the realm of production.
In conclusion, an inescapable or unavoidable label attached to fan economies is "zealotry." The fan economy naturally aligns with Web3. Defining every Web3 user as a fan feels apt—devotees of the crypto "temple." The potential for the mass adoption of Web3 and the fan economy is highly promising: Web3 needs a "killer app" to achieve mass adoption, with many protocols capped at around 100,000 users. In 2018, China's fan community had already reached 74.98 million people. If just 1% of them became active users of a particular app, that app could dominate the Web3 market. With 70,000 daily active users, mass adoption is within reach.
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