I’m With the Band: A Study on One Direction’s Relationship with Directioners, some of the Most Powerful Fans in the World

“One Direction, their management, and their label all know that the band was built by teenage girls, in their bedrooms, talking to each other on their laptops” (Anna Leszkiewicz).

An author’s note: This paper was written as part of my undergraduate studies in 2016 and has not been revised since. Parts might be out of date and it does not reflect my current personal or professional status.

Preface

My younger sister Rachel and I first became One Direction fans in late 2011, when the band left England and began their first tour of the United States. At that point in time, they were openers for popular boy band Big Time Rush and consequently existed in their shadow. We loved this. We loved knowing that we could tweet Harry Styles or Niall Horan and almost always get a response back; we loved the idea that One Direction was our own, secret obsession that no one else had access to. The fan base was so small that it had an inherently intimate and personal feel.

Within a matter of months, though, this all changed. After a successful guest performance on Saturday Night Live in April 2012, One Direction’s notoriety within the United States skyrocketed. This musical…