How do mobile phone users become crazy fans?

Can a mobile phone be used to express faith?

The Apple fans who queue up all night and the Red Guards who are everywhere in the forums are living examples of brainwashing. They meet these four typical characteristics.

Perfection idol

There is a term in psychology called the halo effect, which means that from being awesome in one aspect to being awesome in all aspects, from being extraordinary to being a saint, a perfect idol is born.

For example, the media, like pilgrims, said that Steve Jobs' Apple opened up a new era of mobile smart devices/mobile Internet, but they didn't know that the first smartphone and the first tablet computer were developed by Microsoft. Everyone praised the industrial design of the iPhone 4, and everyone knew that it was a product that truly established Apple's status and made Steve Jobs a god, but how many people remember that it was also a phone that had serious defects even in basic functions, as the signal strength would drop sharply when the frame was held by hand.

Another example is the smooth, simple and friendly iOS system, which many people actually overlooked. It is actually a "semi-intelligent, lightweight" system with fixed hardware adaptation. As the drop-down menu, card-style multitasking interface, and flat-style UI icons, which are not sure whether they are "borrowed" or "copied" from others, gradually become "fully intelligent", the iOS experience and hardware requirements have gradually dropped to the same level as the previously disdained Ander Monkey.

In addition, the success of Samsung's Galaxy/Note flagships overturned Mr. Steve Jobs's theory that 3.5-inch smartphones are the best. Apple, risking another self-contradictory blow, launched the theory that 4-inch smartphones are the best. Apple fans have also kept up with the times and discovered the benefits of 4-inch or even larger sizes. Mr. Steve Jobs is just a mortal, who also brags, hypes, and makes mistakes. Even if Apple fans are aware of this, it does not affect the status of the Apple brand and the idol Steve Jobs in their hearts.

The halo effect will inevitably lead to selective oversight, selective belief, and selective memory. In short, it means "becoming stupid", and all fans will be like this to a greater or lesser extent.

Emotional Response

Whether you really love something is not something you can say with your mouth. Emotions, unconscious actions, conditioned reflexes, these subconscious manifestations, like the iceberg hidden under the sea, are the real you, the uncontrollable self. The things that are above the water and can be controlled by conscious logic are not trustworthy.

Real fans will "unconsciously" defend their idols when talking about a certain topic. For example, when someone "attacks" their idol, the fans of Long-legged Oppa will say, "Do you know how hard XXX works? Stop bashing him." How do they know everything from how handsome XXX is to how hard XXX works? This is what is called a tendency. Even if you don't realize it, you use unconscious tendencies to manipulate conscious behavior.

Going a step further, if someone criticizes something you like, regardless of whether what they say is right or wrong, you will feel disgusted as soon as they open their mouths. This unconscious emotional reaction is a symptom of brainwashing. Especially for senior fans, the halo effect strengthens their positive perception of idols until it forms an emotional conditioned reflex. For example, fans of different idols in the entertainment industry will attack each other, and different fan groups of technology companies such as Apple, Microsoft, and Google will have verbal battles. They will not discuss the content of the article but directly attack people. The words "black article" and "soft article" in the comments show black-and-white thinking, preconceived presumption of guilt, and even u can u up no can no bb are all abnormal cognitive states similar to brainwashing but to varying degrees.

Being violated when an idol is violated is the same as being violated oneself, and being violated when oneself is violated will of course make one angry, and it is natural for an emotional reaction to occur.

Exclusivity

Another characteristic of the fan phenomenon based on idol worship is exclusivity. Fanatic fans will perfect their idols, have emotional reactions, and naturally regard their idols as "unique". Then, they will gradually reject other things in the same dimension as their idols. For example, some fanatical "C language fans" will think that other programming languages ​​are useless, and Apple fans will think that the Android system and Android machines are garbage.

Although fans will not worship different idols in the same dimension, they may worship different idols in different dimensions. This is a bit confusing. For example, Han Han’s fans will not be Guo Jingming’s fans; but Han Han’s fans may also be Steve Jobs’ fans. This is because Han Han and Guo Jingming belong to the same dimension, but they belong to a different dimension (cross-border) from Steve Jobs.

The result of exclusivity is loyalty, which is an essential quality for a fan.

Self-identity

Having said all the necessary characteristics of idol worship, why do fans become fans of a person, object, brand, or company? Self-identification.

Fans will not just randomly choose someone or something as an idol. Fans choose idols based on a certain "bond of connection", or in layman's terms, to find commonalities. With commonalities, fans can gain psychological identification. On this basis, idols are like an extension of oneself, and worshipping idols is like worshipping oneself. For example, if a fan advocates personal heroism, he/she may like teams with many superstars; if a fan is cautious in dealing with others, he/she may like teams that play conservatively.

Anything that you identify with, whether you have it or not, is generally something positive. Apple fans appreciate Apple's think different, Google fans appreciate Google's openness, innovation, and don't be evil... Companies that have left a deep mark in IT history generally have a large group of true fans. The reason why these companies are great is that some of their characteristics resonate with their user base.

Everyone actually has their own set of values ​​for the things around them, either implicitly or explicitly, and whether you are aware of it or not, it affects your preferences all the time. This set of values, when applied to your phone, is the standard by which you judge a product to be good or bad.

In all walks of life, those who understand people's hearts have the ability to create a storm out of nothing. In the technology industry, those particularly powerful manufacturers go beyond the simple product level in their external publicity, and constantly influence your inner values. Whether it is the "run a score if you don't agree" standard or the rhetoric of "the artistic journey of a piece of steel plate", they were originally inspired by the famous saying of Steve Jobs:

The essence of the masses is stupidity. Ordinary people don't know what they like at all. They just follow the trend. What you need to do is to continuously "guide" them.

As a winner of Toutiao's Qingyun Plan and Baijiahao's Bai+ Plan, the 2019 Baidu Digital Author of the Year, the Baijiahao's Most Popular Author in the Technology Field, the 2019 Sogou Technology and Culture Author, and the 2021 Baijiahao Quarterly Influential Creator, he has won many awards, including the 2013 Sohu Best Industry Media Person, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Beijing Third Place, the 2015 Guangmang Experience Award, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Finals Third Place, and the 2018 Baidu Dynamic Annual Powerful Celebrity.