Fanboy Frenzy!

PC is better than Mac hands down, you know that right? Everyone knows that and if you believe any different you are a fool! How could you not know that PCs are more reasonably-priced and just a better buy overall for the average user? Macs are for crazy people who don't know anything about quality, value, or performance. For the price of one Mac I can buy 3 PCs!

Had you going there for a minute didn't I? Well..as much as I used to be a die-hard PC fan, I am now looking into Macs and Alienware because I feel that they may actually provide more performance and be better suited to our needs. I just wanted to see how people would react to such a statement.

Recently I was talking to my husband about the concept of "fanboyism". What is fanboyism you ask? It is when someone is so dedicated to a particular concept or item that they become fanatical about that item. The common definition is: supporter. However, I believe it goes much further than that.

Which would you prefer? Coke or Pepsi? PC or Mac? Nikon or Canon? Do you know that just by entering any forum related to one of these products and asking which is better, you can start an online riot? Not long ago, I was nearly kicked out of a Linked In group because I asked which computer was a better buy; PC or Mac. I explained that we were in the market for a new computer, were avid gamers and that my husband is a photographer and needs to be able to edit photos.

After asking the question on the forum, I was contacted by the group's moderator. He warned me that this would incite a heated debate and that he would have to kick me out of the group if I continued. I apologized and explained to him that I really had no clue that asking such  a simple question on a forum full of what should have been level-headed adults would blacklist me.

Why are people so dedicated to their brand to the point where they would go to battle over it? I cannot tell you the answer to that (perhaps an actual study is needed and as soon as I throw my psychology hat on, I'm on it). However, I can tell you that many Internet users are very tired of them and some have even suggested loading them all up and sending them to outer space. While i would not go so far as to send them into exile, I will tell you that the only ones benefiting from such things are the companies whom they defend.

Some are not really that bad but you know what they say about that one apple. I have seen Canon users join Nikon groups with the specific intent of trolling their forums, the same can be said for PC users, Mac, or any other brand. The problem is not necessarily just that they are annoying. The real problem is that fanboys (and fangirls) make it so difficult for people who actually want viable information in order to make an informed decision. I cannot tell you the countless amount of products that I have tried to research (outside of the companies' official websites) and have come up empty because of fanboy-related trolling.

There is  nothing wrong with being passionate about something. However, remember that most of us are adults and should conduct ourselves as such. Before going off on a tangent about any specific product please ask yourself if you are just rambling or actually adding value to a particular discussion. Here are some of the products in general that have stirred up some off-the-wall discussions (real-world and online):

Mac vs. PC
Nikon vs. Canon
Pepsi vs. Coke
Cable vs. satellite
Facebook vs. Twitter
CNN vs. MSNBC
Xbox vs. PS3 (see my previous article on Xbox One vs. PS4)
Cats vs. dogs
..and the list goes on!

Posted in: fanboy, news, opinion, pc vs mac, pepsi vs coke, xbox one