Entertainment

All Hail The Science Fandom

by Alaina Urquhart-White
Eddy Chen/Netflix

Television has a way of deeply impacting the lives of those who watch it, manipulating emotions and sometimes inspiring audiences to get involved. Rarely though, does a series come along that has the potential to truly change the way an entire generation of fans reacts to a global crisis. Netflix's newest streaming series, Bill Nye Saves The World and the science fandom have the power to truly change the future in a profound way.

Bill Nye began his quest to educate the masses in 1993 with his children's show Bill Nye The Science Guy. And now those same fans have grown up to demand more science-based programming, when promoting facts is more important than ever. Not only are those Science Guy fans demanding more from Bill Nye, they are actively encouraging others to educate themselves about continuing scientific progress as well.

Millennials especially, have a good amount of pressure on them today, with the amount of vitally important scientific issues that are affecting society at the moment. Luckily, it seems that many Millennials have embraced the science fandom and are pushing forward to educate those around them, while keeping beloved science celebs like Bill Nye in the public eye. This particular fandom has seemingly modeled itself after other popular "geeky" fandoms, like those that have built up around shows such as Doctor Who and Teen Wolf and franchises such as Star Wars and Star Trek. Like those popular pieces of media, scientific study has followers who possess the same veracity in their desire to share what they love, admire, and find really cool. Like other fandoms, the science fandom have built websites, organized rallies and have built a vast social media presence to spread awareness and show others why science is fun.

The unchecked reach of social media can be seen as a curse, but those in the science fandom have used it as a method of sharing information and recruiting new members. Tumblrs such as F*ckyeahscience and popular pop- science personalities like SciBabe, A Science Enthusiast and I F*cking Love Science bring humor and the shared vocabulary of social media into the education process. They continue to gain followers and fans, which may just help to build a better, more informed future. There's even a fandom effort to change the perception of what scientists look and dress like. The Sartorial Science Tumblr showcases scientists of all ages, races, and genders in their stylish everyday attire, discussing their research.

Eddy Chen/Netflix

With the current government of the United States minimizing the importance of scientific research, the science fandom's ability to excite the masses about the work that's being done is imperative. After all, If people don't understand something and don't understand the immense impact that it has on their personal lives, then they won't fight to keep it relevant. The rise of the science fandom has created an entire community of people who not only understand its importance and keep science relevant, but also feel compelled to motivate everyone around them to grasp the fact that scientific progress is essential to humanity's survival as a species.

Of course, not everyone who is a part of the science fandom is a scientist by trade or a legitimate researcher. There is a whole realm of the science fandom that is built by complete amateurs who simply love what the study of science has to offer them intellectually, or otherwise. If you are passionate about something, you aim to share it and educate others about it. Ask any Game of Thrones fan, and they will be happy to share with you the histories of the families from Westeros. The same thirst to learn and share exists in the science fandom.

The arrival of Bill Nye Saves The World is proof that the science fandom is now impacting pop culture. And the more widely understood concepts like global warming and vaccinations are, the better off the world will be.