Teen fandom is so potent. Any choice they make in pop culture

Hear the voice of Alycia Debnam-Carey, who declared: “Teen fandom is so potent. Any choice they make in pop culture forces the rest of the world to take notice.” These words, though rooted in the age of screens and sound, carry the eternal truth of youth’s power. For the young are not merely spectators in the theater of culture—they are the heralds who announce which songs will be sung, which stories remembered, which idols raised high upon the altars of the age. Their fandom is not a small thing; it is the force of many hearts beating as one, shaking the pillars of the world.

In her saying, Debnam-Carey unveils a truth often dismissed by the old: that the choices of the teen are seeds cast into the soil of culture, and from them grow movements, fashions, and legends. Adults may scoff, thinking their wisdom rules the day, but the marketplace of attention bends to the cries of the young. What they adore becomes ascendant, what they reject falls into dust. Their potency lies in numbers, in passion, and in the fire of belief untempered by cynicism. It is a power subtle yet unstoppable.

History, too, bears witness to this. Consider the frenzy of Beatlemania in the 1960s. It was not kings or critics who first anointed the Beatles as cultural gods, but the screaming, weeping, unwavering devotion of teenagers. Grown men in boardrooms and newsrooms could not ignore what they saw; entire industries bent to the will of those youthful voices. What began as the cries of the young became a tidal wave that reshaped music forever. In this, Debnam-Carey’s words find their origin: the fandom of the young compels the elders of the earth to bow, however reluctantly, before its might.

Nor is this power limited to music. In every age, the spirit of youth has chosen what tales endure. Shakespeare himself, in his day, drew throngs of apprentices and street boys who shouted their delight and scorn in the Globe. It was their laughter and applause, more than the pens of scholars, that gave his plays life. So too in our age, the shows and films beloved by the young ascend to greatness, not because of critics’ praise, but because of the unyielding force of teen fandom.

Yet there is wisdom here also for the young themselves. For if their voices are so powerful, then let them not waste that power on empty idols alone. To adore is natural; to unite is mighty; but to choose with care is the mark of a generation that changes not just fashion, but destiny. When youth pour their energy into creators and movements that uplift, the entire world is drawn upward. When their devotion is given to hollow spectacles, the world follows into shallowness. The choice is theirs, and it is heavier than they may know.

For the elders, the lesson is clear as well: do not dismiss the passions of the young. To sneer at their music, their stories, their heroes, is to blind oneself to the currents of the age. Instead, listen. Learn what stirs their souls, for therein lies the direction of tomorrow. A wise leader, a wise artist, a wise parent pays heed to the cries of youth, for within them beats the prophecy of the future.

And so, let the words of Alycia Debnam-Carey be a torch for both young and old. To the young: know your fandom is a force, and wield it with wisdom. To the old: honor the potency of youth, and do not underestimate its sway. Practical action is this: if you are young, support art and voices that reflect truth, courage, and beauty. If you are older, do not belittle, but join in dialogue, guiding where you can, and learning where you must. In this way, the power of teen fandom will not only move markets, but elevate humanity.

Thus, remember: the world does not move by decrees alone, nor by crowns of kings, but by the passions of its youth. And when the young choose, the earth itself must turn its head and listen.