PsyberSpace: Understand Your World

Leslie Poston: 00:11

Welcome to PsyberSpace. I'm your host, Leslie Posten. And today we're diving into something that bridges my early research work with our ongoing exploration of digital psychology. We're going to talk about fan behavior, social movements, and how understanding one might be the key to making the other more effective. Well, my research interests have since moved on in my doctoral work.

Leslie Poston: 00:35

My early research explored this and I want to share those highlights with you today, especially in light of the extraordinary hands off protest we just witnessed this past weekend. Is a successful restorative justice movement driven by fan behavior? This question became the foundation of my early research. Think about it. Regressive movements like MAGA or anti vaccination groups develop passionate sustained followings that stick around long after the initial event that sparked them.

Leslie Poston: 01:06

They create what we'd recognize as fandoms communities with shared symbols, language, and identity. These regressive groups take these fan fueled movements to the point of cult status. Meanwhile, progressive movements often struggle to maintain momentum. They might generate huge initial enthusiasm like the Women's March in 2017, which was the largest single day protest in US history at that time. But that energy frequently dissipates rather than transforms into lasting change.

Leslie Poston: 01:40

So what can progressive movements learn from fan psychology? That's what we're unpacking today, especially in light of the remarkable momentum of the hands off protest we just witnessed this past weekend. First, let's establish some terminology that frames this discussion. When I talk about fandom, I'm referring to the communities that form around shared interests that are characterized by collective enthusiasm, devotion, and identity. Think about sports fans who wear their team colors, follow the statistics, and feel extreme emotional investment in the outcomes.

Leslie Poston: 02:17

I might also use the term active publics. This was coined by researcher Hallihan and it describes groups that actively seek and process information about a cause or an issue rather than just passively receiving it. Anti fandom is another interesting concept. That's groups that form their identity through rejection of something like anti fans of the TV show Seinfeld who hate it and spend just as much time discussing that as actual fans who watch the show. And all of this connects to media psychology how media affects human behavior, thoughts and feelings in an increasingly digital world.

Leslie Poston: 02:59

To explore these ideas for that early research, I originally used the Woman's March movement as my primary case study. But before we get into that, let's talk about what just happened this weekend. The hands off protests that took place across America on 04/05/2025 drew an astounding 5,500,000 participants in The US alone according to the organizing group Indivisible. What's interesting about this more recent protest is the way this movement united people across the political spectrum in what we're calling an anti fandom collective opposition to Donald Trump and Elon Musk's perceived and real threats to democracy. This remarkable coalition building stands in stark contrast to the earlier women's marches which, while historic, faced significant challenges in maintaining momentum and cohesion.

Leslie Poston: 03:54

The first women's march happened in 2017 a direct reaction to Donald Trump's inauguration. It started with an impulsive idea from a woman in Hawaii on election night and somehow became the largest day of protest in U. S. History at that time. Despite this overwhelming support, the movement faced controversy and infighting largely centered on an apparent lack of intersectionality and inclusion as well as disagreement about symbols like the pink hats with cat ears worn largely by white women new to protesting.

Leslie Poston: 04:28

This was a move that came across to many as performative setting the wearers apart from the existing movement builders. The second major nationwide women's march happened in 2021 in reaction to Texas enacting restrictive reproductive healthcare legislation. Though well attended, it was not nearly as large as the earlier twenty seventeen march. The contrast between these earlier events and the recent hands off protest reveals important lessons about movement building. Thinking about lessons about movement building brings us to the power of symbols in movement building.

Leslie Poston: 05:05

One interesting aspect of both the Women's March and the hands off protest was the way symbols emerged in either united or divided participants. The Hands Off Protest created powerful symbolism through its name representing both resistance to authoritarianism and unity in defending democracy as well as its big tent messaging that allowed people room to express their particular reason for participating. With an administration that is attacking its own constituents' rights and eroding its own government functionality on multiple fronts, this simple, inclusive umbrella message was a must. A single issue protest would not have worked in this moment in time. The universally accessible protests, happening in over 1,300 cities in The US as well as in cities abroad also effectively united diverse groups across the political spectrum under a shared identity as defenders of democracy.

Leslie Poston: 06:04

Democracy as a concept is much more inclusive than political party affiliation and was so much under attack from Trump and Musk, there was room for every cause to fit under this one umbrella idea of freedom from tyrannical rule. In contrast, the pink cat ear knitted hats which came to be known derogatively as pussy hats became the defining visual of the twenty seventeen Women's March easy to spot, simple to understand, visually unifying and memorable. They also gave people who couldn't attend a way to participate by making hats for the marchers. However, they were only visually unifying to one certain subset of protesters who had likely never protested before in many cases, and that's white women. Following these protests, the hats became a symbol of how progressive movements can often nitpick themselves out of momentum.

Leslie Poston: 07:02

For example, critics of the Woman's March argued that they represented biological essentialism, excluded trans women and non binary folk, and that the hats were performative or unserious and more if you were online at the time, you know that discourse was plentiful. The Women's March leadership didn't navigate this tension well. There was no defining countermessage that there might be room for both the hats and more inclusive symbols that could lead to a teachable moment or expand the movement. And this was a missed opportunity. Had the hats remained while inclusive alternatives were also introduced and embraced, they would have provided a visual counter identity to the MAGA red hats that were introduced at the same time, and every time the groups encountered each other, symbol versus symbol, it would have helped educate the uneducated or the politically averse public to begin to quantify the stakes.

Leslie Poston: 07:57

What the hands off protest demonstrated brilliantly was the power of anti fandom as a unifying force. Anti fandom, a collective opposition to a figure, ideology, or idea, can sometimes create stronger bonds than a fandom because it allows diverse groups to unite despite other differences. MAGA thrives on being a unified, unquestioning fandom in the face of anti fandom like this, it falters. The protests succeeded in bringing together people from across the political spectrum who shared concerns about threats to democratic institutions. This illustrates an important nuance to my research: sometimes movements can leverage opposition as effectively as affirmation.

Leslie Poston: 08:39

The hands off protests created a collective identity around what participants stood against rather than only what they stood for This is more resonant than the Democrats' usual posturing against a single evil boogeyman like Trump. As the past three months in The United States have shown, the damage a well orchestrated plan like Project twenty twenty five can do to democracy is magnified with someone like a malignant P. T. Barnum at the wheel. But it's still a well orchestrated plan that multiple people are enacting.

Leslie Poston: 09:16

Regressive movements like MAGA have long understood how to create symbols of solidarity and participation opportunities. They excel at centering participants in the story being told by the movement. They meet supporters' need for community, bolster their sense of self in relation to a larger group, and provide organization. Progressive movements can leverage these same principles, as we saw with the hands off protest. The concept of enduring empowerment gives participants a way to see the impact their role in collective action has on the overall movement.

Leslie Poston: 09:49

This builds emotional resonance with the cause, moving participants from a state of despair to a state of empowerment. And this is where we need to be to build the better future. In the years since I completed my thesis, fascinating new research has emerged on the psychology of movement building that add depth to my understanding of both the Women's March and the Hands Off protests. Research on identity fusion represents a visceral sense of oneness with a group that goes beyond mere identification. Gomez and colleagues found that this fusion serves as a powerful predictor of extreme probrute behaviors and self sacrifice.

Leslie Poston: 10:30

This might explain why the Women's March struggled with sustainability between its reactive protest moments. Without sufficient identity fusion, participants weren't bound tightly enough to the movement to withstand internal critique. Chinjie and colleagues demonstrated that strongly fused individuals feel a visceral responsibility towards their group, motivating self sacrificial actions. The research also shows that shared emotional experiences such as flashbulb memories of significant events like Trump's election or inauguration can lead to deeper identity fusion. Another advancement comes from research on moral emotions and collective action.

Leslie Poston: 11:13

Landman and Roman discovered that while negative emotions like anger and indignation can rapidly mobilize people for protest, positive emotions like feeling moved are also powerful motivators for collective action. This dynamic was visible in how the hands off protest managed to transform initial outrage into a sense of solidarity and collective empowerment. Ioannian and colleagues found that in repressive contexts, protesters are primarily motivated by outrage, movement identification, or moral obligation rather than political efficacy. Sylvaneth Vanathen and Jettin emphasized that the experience of participating in collective action itself can foster continued commitment while movement leaders play a vital role in uniting participants and mobilizing broader societal support. Recent studies on transversal solidarity and coalition building across identity differences are particularly relevant to this discussion.

Leslie Poston: 12:14

Densera examines how movements navigate fragmentation and exclusionary identity politics, while Stefan Dick and colleagues analyzed how intersectional political solidarity can be created and maintained. Goertz emphasizes the importance of negotiating differences and leveraging uneven privileges in coalition building. These studies suggest that successful movements need three critical components to maintain cohesion: explicit naming and addressing of power differentials within the movement, creating spaces for intramovement dialogue about tensions, and emphasizing shared vulnerability to common threats. The hands off protest excelled particularly in that third component. Research on ritual participation and movement activities by Goffind and colleagues and Parkinson reveals that synchronized behaviors in collective gatherings can trigger neural synchrony among participants something that regressive and religious movements tend to capitalize on.

Leslie Poston: 13:15

Think unifying hymns or group chants at a protest, for example. Zumida and colleagues found that participation in collective rituals enhances perceived emotional synchrony, social integration, and personal well-being as well. Finally, I'm fascinated by recent work on networked individualism and social movements. Tyndall and colleagues highlighted the importance of personal networks in shaping movement participation. Wong and colleagues demonstrate how social media plays a vital role in enabling connective action and facilitating the transition to more organized forms of collective action.

Leslie Poston: 13:55

Fleisher examines how autonomous network logics can sustain strong movements without traditional organizational structures, emphasizing the importance of shared political culture and a collective identity, which explains why imposing a single symbolic identity like the pink hats can backfire while offering multiple entry points for identity expression like at the hands off protest strengthens overall cohesion. The hands off protest demonstrated effective digital organizing that helped them achieve unprecedented turnout. Organizers leveraged social media not just for awareness but for active coordination as well as utilizing consistent local in person group meetings, an email list and virtual Zoom calls. They also developed clear messaging that could be reproduced and shared easily across platforms, creating a digital ecosystem that supported real world action. What was particularly notable was how the hands off protests used digital platform livestreams and photo sharing to create a sense of nationwide community.

Leslie Poston: 15:01

Participants could see in real time that they were part of something much larger than their local gathering, which reinforced their sense of collective power. This highlights an area where progressive movements often need to improve: digital sustainability beyond the event itself. Posting disappearing Instagram stories just the day of the protest is useful but not necessarily sticky enough to last and grow. Excellent social media tools movement building include a short video on platforms with finely tuned algorithms that don't require ads for leverage like TikTok, as well as community building on private social platforms like Discord in addition to real life organizing. Another necessity is a list of actionable goals.

Leslie Poston: 15:45

The Women's March faced hurdles centered on not including marginalized groups in the goal setting for the organization. Having clear actionable goals gives participants a measurable way to see how they're contributing which reinforces their sense of belonging and purpose. Regressive movements excel at conveying simplistic ideas within strong emotional stories, usually based in fear or anger. Fear is an especially strong emotion for driving behavior. They use storytelling that centers the listener, a powerful way to turn a simple supporter into a true fan.

Leslie Poston: 16:21

Progressive movement leaders could learn from this and include more emotional storytelling to convey their message to a wider audience. Creating emotionally resonant stories for participants can help enhance the necessary us versus them mentality that often spurs participants into taking action on behalf of a group. While creating these larger narratives, progressive movement organizers must also become adept at creating stories for smaller, disparate groups within the larger group. The hands off protests benefited from this moment in time where every news story has a deep personal impact on every U. S.

Leslie Poston: 16:58

Citizen, making it easier for people to see themselves in the story of saving democracy and to participate. The hands off protests provide a blueprint for future progressive organizing. Their success came from creating a broad coalition around a shared concern while allowing space for different motivation and identities within that coalition. They focused on a clear emotionally resonant threat that transcended political difference. A future well organized progressive movement would follow this example while also ensuring a truly representative leadership structure: a collective at the top comprised of people that represent all marginalized groups.

Leslie Poston: 17:39

Because white people and able-bodied people have the greatest majority representation in society, priority would be given to the needs and goals of other marginalized groups during planning because what benefits them benefits all of us. It's not pie. There's enough to go around. The hands off protest showed that when the stakes are clearly communicated and the message is inclusive, movements can overcome the infighting that plagued earlier efforts like the Women's March. The challenge going forward will be to turn potential infighting from a destructive force that eliminates any chance of a unifying symbol's creation to a creative force that allows participants to be the social actors within their group and improve upon the symbols together.

Leslie Poston: 18:27

The extraordinary success of the Hands Off protest this past weekend validates the core argument of my early research: understanding fan psychology and its counterpart, anti fandom, is an important piece of the puzzle for building effective movements for social change. With 5,500,000 Americans participating, these protests demonstrated that when movements effectively leverage collective identity, clear symbolism, and shared opposition to perceived threats, they can achieve remarkable mobilization across traditional divides. There may be a tendency to see utilizing fan psychology as trivializing a push for serious societal change, but a better way to frame it may be that organizers are simply using the quirks of the human brain to the advantage of restorative justice in a progressive and inclusive society. Progressive movements push forward ideas and changes that can be difficult to embrace. Building both fan bases and anti fan coalitions that will carry your movement forward is one of the best ways to ensure a sustainable, purposeful, successful progressive movement.

Leslie Poston: 19:32

The work isn't just about being right it's about building a community powerful enough to create lasting change. So why did I change my research focus when I moved into my doctoral program? Well, that's pretty simple. One of the findings of my research that I wrote in my thesis was that more white voices were not necessarily needed in this research area, and that we should amplify the marginalized voices that are not just doing the hard research, but living the hard research. In my thesis presentation, I do highlight some researchers that I think that everyone should pay attention to.

Leslie Poston: 20:12

So I will also try and bring them into the show notes for this episode as well, because we want to highlight all research. As to what I'm studying, now I'm studying another pressing problem of our time, and that's algorithmic suppression and the psychology behind that, and how we move through it and around it to survive and thrive. And I'm very excited about that, and hopefully I'll be publishing on that later this year. And why did I do this episode today? I actually scrapped an existing episode, moved it to later this month because of the effectiveness of the hands on protest this weekend, and the way it reminded me of my earlier research years ago.

Leslie Poston: 20:53

And I just wanted to talk about it and get a discussion going about it. And that's all for this episode of PsyberSpace. I'd love to hear your thoughts on movement building. Send me your stories through our website or our social channels, through our Patreon. If you have a researcher that you think I should know about that's doing great work in this space, that deserves to be amplified, let me know.

Leslie Poston: 21:16

It's getting to the point in the podcast where we're going to start having guests periodically. This is never going to be a multi host show, but there's so much great research out there, and I want to make sure your voices are getting heard. We also have some news this week. The Webby Awards nominations were announced last week, and our show was an honoree, which means in the podcast show category of science and education, we were one of three honorees. Other honorees were Google's DeepMind podcast and Amazon's This is Small Business podcast, so I feel that I'm in great company, and I'm so excited that people are enjoying the show.

Leslie Poston: 21:54

If you have a request for a future episode, let me know what it is. I would love to hear it and talk about the research around the topic with you. This is your host, Posten, signing off and reminding you that in the space between psychology and technology, we find the most human stories of all. Until next time, stay curious!