Online Communities

Throughout my preteen and teen years, I was (and still am) a fan of One Direction. When I first joined the fandom, in 2010, there were plenty of Directioners around my age, and we all shared the same views, music taste (obviously), and ships. I was able to communicate with other Directioners through stan Twitter and Instagram. I 100% believe that stan Twitter and Instagram are communities.  We can all communicate and understand each other in a way that we can not express to others outside of the fandom. Some directioners act as "leaders," but the regular stans, those that do not have as many followers, act as citizens. Directioners on stan Twitter and Instagram are definitely toxic, but honestly, I wouldn't have it any other way.