When you're asking "Who are you?" to a person, you probably want generics to gauge whether or not they're normal (or sane). It's a conversation starter - human to human interaction to either be nice or to gauge potential friendships. I can comfortably say something like "I like reading" and have a general conversation about it to anyone because that's a general statement. Most anyone can identify with that, and if you don't, it's not a big deal.
If we get into fan spaces and ask "Who are you?", it's a little different but still the same - are you a normal fan or a mega fan? Where do you sit in a fan space? I'll admit I enjoy Tolkien, I have the books, I've watched the movies. That probably falls into the "average fan" range. I don't own movie props, or the One Ring, or figurines, or Funko Pops, or Plushes. I don't own any T-Shirts. I don't have any cosplay shit. Honestly, I'm probably considered a pleb more than a fan to these groups, but I'd wager that's what an average enjoyer of something keeps; A small, modest collection. Big enough for one shelf in a bookcase but not enough to spill over. Tolkien isn't my identity, it's a part of it but not the whole.
Consoomers will tell you they own all of that and more. Because they will blindly and needlessly spend on this stuff to make sure everyone knows "This is a thing I enjoy!". It's not quiet and it's never subtle because it also is a justification to them doing this. They explicitly tell you how big of a fan they are because they want to dare you to criticize them, so if you do they can judge you for being anti-fun, small-minded, and rude. Because this is their money and why can't you let people enjoy things?
It's all a badge of pride. Owning obscure (useless) shit to show off that they're SO MUCH of a lover of BRAND that they went and got the super limited edition of only 10 copies of this thing BRAND did. And it now sits on a glass shelf under a glass box which will make it super valuable one day, wait and see! Because in the end they believe their consoomerism has taken them into an elite club you're not allowed to join unless you spend as much money. They don't want to mingle with "average" fans. They want you to praise them for their overspending habits, to be jealous of them, to treat them like Kings among Men. Their name is spoken of in forums as "the Fan" and that's something you'll never have.
And I think as soon as you start striving to that point, to get things you'll never touch but once and just keep under a glass and brag about, that's when it's clear that the Consoom is your identity. Consoomers want you to envy them. Average fans and normal people just want to enjoy the things and will use them instead of putting them on a pedestal to never be touched.
This doesn't apply to Funko Pop collectors because anyone collecting those is automatically a consoomer.
I do enjoy a fair bit of sim racing and motorsport in general, so if someone was to ask that question I'd probably say that.
I feel like its a bit harsh to suggest people who are invested in a franchise or sport are consoomers.
Consoomers to me have a clear attitude thats different to normal fans.
To me, normal fans
Go to work
Discuss a movie, franchise or sport with a friend
Play games with your friends
Follow updates on their favourite stuff
Join a few communities
Consoomers
Have the mentality of a child
Throw childish insults if they see anything bad said about a franchise
Have little to any friends
Hoard over everything to where its all over the place
Always in trouble with money
If you support a team in F1 or football, or like a franchise, yeah I think you can go out and buy stuff.
I don't see nothing wrong with that. Go to your local club and have a great time socializing and watching the match with friends or your community.
I think there needs to be a clear distinction between both. And I think there is.
If you act like a child and obsess over everything with a child like behaviour, yeah that's too far.
If you watch the occasional movie from your childhood, act maturely and have something else or other hobbies (History maybe?)
then that's fine.
I'd say the limit is when you start getting emotional. If you care for a character and you get emotional, I don't see
it as that bad.
Crying over a trailer? Yeah that oversteps the mark. You know a consoomer when you see one and you know a regular guy when you see one.
