Mobilizing minions: Fan activism efficacy of Misha Collins fans in Supernatural fandom

Abstract

In 2009, Supernatural (CW, 2005–) actor Misha Collins tweeted to his followers in an effort to raise government funds for nonprofit initiatives, resulting in the fan-made website Minion Stimulus whose creator Collins later approached about growing the site into a private charity, Random Acts. The circumstances of Random Acts' inception paved the way for Collins's current philanthropic strategy, which operationalizes fan activism for social good. Collins's approach to fan mobilization takes place on social media, which he has used to effectively operationalize the potential of fan activism.

Keywords

• celebrity studies
• charity
• civic engagement
• fan/celebrity relationships
• parasociality
• politics
• social media