I've spent the last week showing how fan fiction communities create unparalleled support networks, but Aiken's woes illustrate a problem facing writers with newfangled fan bases. Before anything else, writers have to strike a difficult balance: how to stimulate this community without breaking the imaginary rules within the community.
Somewhat comically, this British Telegraph story about Clay Aiken reveals the dark side of fandom--but calling the singer "defective product" makes me sick.
"Aiken's disgruntled former fans have drawn their own conclusions. In a statement, they said: "As consumers, we feel ripped off. It is obvious now that the private Clay is very different from the manufactured, packaged Clay that was marketed to us… This is tantamount to a manufacturer concealing information about a defective product. Therefore these actions were unfair and deceptive to consumers."
Internet gossip sites and Aiken's own official website are abuzz with fans claiming that the tabloid stories are false and that accompanying photos were doctored."
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