About
NotReallyAFan is an editorial project about attention without allegiance.
It is not neutral.
It is not enthusiastic.
It exists because most opinions live in the middle.
The 10 Principles of Not Being a Fan
A Manifesto for the Vast Middle
1Attention Without Allegiance
You can think about something without defending it. You can engage with ideas, products, people, and movements without becoming their spokesperson. Observation is not endorsement. Interest is not investment.
You follow the news about AI developments, but you're not convinced it's either salvation or apocalypse. You just think it's... happening.
2Indifference is Not Ignorance
Not caring deeply doesn't mean not caring at all. The middle ground between obsession and apathy is where most clear thinking happens. You can be informed and still shrug.
You understand cryptocurrency well enough to have an opinion. That opinion is: "Sure, I guess."
3Enthusiasm is Optional
The world pressures you to LOVE things or HATE things. Both are exhausting. You're allowed to think something is fine. Adequate. Decent. Not terrible. These are legitimate positions.
That movie everyone's talking about? You watched it. It was okay. You don't need to write a 2000-word defense or a scathing takedown.
4No Loyalty Required
Brands want fans. Politicians want supporters. Creators want subscribers. You owe them nothing. You can appreciate something today and forget it tomorrow. You can use a product without joining its community.
You have an iPhone because it works, not because you believe in Apple's vision for humanity.
5Critique Without Crusade
You can point out flaws without declaring war. You can disagree without needing to convince anyone. Sometimes things are just... not great. That's the observation. You don't need to organize around it.
You think your city's new public transit plan has obvious problems. You mention it once at dinner. You don't start a petition.
6Questions Beat Declarations
"I wonder if..." is more honest than "This is definitely..." Most of life exists in uncertainty. Embrace it. Ask more. Assert less. Change your mind without announcing it.
Instead of declaring working from home is objectively better or worse, you admit: "I'm still figuring out what works for me."
7Your Ambivalence is Valid
Mixed feelings aren't confusion—they're accuracy. The world is complicated. Your response to it can be too. You don't have to resolve every tension or pick a side in every debate.
You're grateful for social media connections but exhausted by the platform dynamics. Both things are true. You're not going to delete your account OR defend it.
8Consume Without Identity
What you watch, read, buy, or listen to doesn't have to become who you are. You can enjoy something without making it your personality. You can skip something popular without being contrarian.
You listen to Taylor Swift sometimes. You're not a Swiftie. You also don't announce you're "not really into pop music." You just... listen when you feel like it.
9Silence is a Position
Not everything requires your input. Not every conversation needs your take. Sometimes the most honest response is saying nothing at all. Opting out is a choice, not a failure.
When everyone's arguing about the latest controversy, you read enough to understand it, then close the tab and go make dinner.
10The Middle is Where You Live
Between hype and hate, between joining and rejecting, between all-in and checked-out—that's where most people actually exist. It's not boring. It's not cowardly. It's real life.
You participate in culture without being consumed by it. You have opinions without turning them into obligations. You pay attention without pretending it matters more than it does.
The Core Truth
You don't have to be a fan.
Not of ideas. Not of people. Not of movements, products, platforms, or philosophies.
You can observe. Consider. Engage selectively. Walk away easily.
You can exist in the vast, sensible, sustainable middle—where attention doesn't require devotion, and curiosity doesn't demand commitment.