The Star Wars "Influencer"

The decline of fandom in the age of social media marketing

It was a surreal moment.

Okay?

There I was - sitting on the stage at Grauman's Chinese Theater on Hollywood Boulevard. Before me is a round table with a traditional deep red all-American tablecloth and a full setting of the latest Denny’s tie-in menu for Solo: A Star Wars Story. On the porcelain-white plate before me lie a stack of pancakes that looked like they may have been pretty tasty about 30 minutes ago. These were Denny’s new buttermilk recipe (for an extra fluffy stack) topped with strawberries, strawberry syrup, and whipped cream. Oh and don’t forget the Crystal Crunch Rocks and citrus sauce (to your taste) for the “popping and fizzing!” “It's basically a party in your mouth.”

Yes. A party in your mouth. Someone wrote that sales copy. (Let’s be real, I loved them)

So that’s the most surreal moment I've ever had as a small potatoes Star Wars podcaster.

This moment is probably where I peaked. I achieved peak Disney Star Wars podcaster shill status. Achievement unlocked. You see, Denny’s flew out a bunch of Star Wars… ready for it…. ready for the word… Star Wars influencers. *slight vomit*

*Cut to present day*

I think in the early days, Star Wars Fan Media became so powerful for the right reasons. It was passionate fans that were putting together great content just for the love of ‘the wars.’ In those days, The Force Cast had the Clone Wars actors and Dave Filoni on regularly and they were more or less the ambassadors of Star Wars fandom. The lifeblood of Star Wars fandom online were the fansites and the forums. Rebel Scum, TheForce.net, Club Jade, EUCantina, and many more. Once upon a time, StarWars.com had a dedicated community page that showcased a lot of the creative and passionate fan community including collecting sites, podcasts, and fan sites. Now when you go to the community page, you’re greeted by a slickly produced, LFL approved Star Wars Families video series “presented by eBay.”

Unfortunately, internet fandom has transformed in recent years. It's much more of a commoditized audience where large faceless corporations try to advance the brand. To be clear, this is not entirely about my frustrations with Disney Star Wars. This is the case everywhere, no matter what business you're in. Corporatized social media marketing is the way you sell something these days. But there was a kind of vitality to those early days of fandom. I feel a little strange having had a front-row seat to it over the last 10 years. As Star Wars fan media blossomed and kept growing, press screenings, premiere access, and hierarchical levels of access became naturally more and more the norm.

Doing Press interviews at Star Wars Celebration Europe

I mean, I was on that list, that email list somebody at Denny’s got from somewhere. Back to Hollywood Boulevard. Present were a lot of the typical fan media you might see at Star Wars conventions. Dennys literally paid the money to fly us all out there. Seriously, somebody thought this was a good idea. They had all of us Star Wars “influencers” stay at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, this fancy, swanky hotel right across from the Chinese Theater. Think about it. They flew me out - a 25-year-old kid who just does a slightly popular Star Wars podcast. If it sounds like I'm proud of this moment, I’m not. I'm just telling you how ridiculous it was.

And that's the most surreal moment I've ever had in my Star Wars fandom.

But you know, it’s kinda sad. This is where I peaked. If you want to know what the highest of Star Wars privileges you can get in the new era of the fan media hierarchy - the bloggers, podcasters, and now Tik Tok stars - that’s it. That's the example. There. That's what people aspire to. If you want to know what the best you can expect, the most successful you'll ever be as a “Star Wars Influencer”… you might go get some free Denny's in the city of angels.

Star Wars is an incredible story. It's an incredible mythology that has impacted generation after generation. And there's a reason it connects. I know a lot of people talk about how Star Wars or Disney has changed or become too top-heavy or too corporate. I think this goes beyond Star Wars. Star Wars hasn’t really changed nearly as much as everything else around us has.

Thanks for reading, catch an in-depth conversation about this topic on the most recent Wampa’s Lair podcast where Jason and Karl interview me about my time in the world of Star Wars podcasting.

MTFBWY

-Riley