Science Explains Why Apple Fanboys Are Jerks

I admit, my headline is an example of baiting an audience. But if you’ve ever wondered why people who love certain brands react in a seemingly irrational way whenever that brand receives criticism, read on. According to research performed by Shirley Cheng, Tiffany White and Lan Chaplin, the reason discussions about brands often turn into enormous flame wars is because we incorporate the brands we love into our own self-image. When someone else criticizes or attacks a brand we love, we feel as if we ourselves are under attack. That’s why so many people respond passionately to attacks on brands — it’s a matter of self-defense.

In other words, when a fanboy — a derogatory term generally used to describe someone who loves something beyond reason — calls you stupid because you don’t recognize how inherently awesome the fanboy’s obsession is, it’s because you attacked his self-image by not embracing that obsession. It’s not a rational response but it’s natural. It’s similar to the reaction you would feel if someone directly insulted you. The threat to the image of yourself would initiate a response. That response might be completely internal or it might lead to barbed insults or even flying fists.

I’m going to put on my armchair evolutionary sociologist outfit and present a hypothesis. Identifying ourselves as members of a larger community is a great survival mechanism. It stands to reason that self-protection is a survival mechanism. But by incorporating the concept of a group within our own self-image means we’re also willing to protect that group. This helps insure that the species as a whole continues. If someone attacks a group we belong to, we respond as if it is a personal attack.

I see this sort of behavior everywhere. Sometimes it’s based on necessity — banding together in groups protects people from those who otherwise would harm them. Sometimes it’s based on opportunity — joining a group gives people better access to certain resources. And sometimes it’s just based on good old consumerism. That’s the sort of identification the study covers — incorporating brand identity into our own concept of ourselves. It’s the “I’m a Mac” and “I’m a PC” ad in real life. We join a community of like-minded people who affirm our allegiance to a brand. We’re also told by the brand itself that the brand is valuable and desirable. And there’s no small amount of self-affirmation going on. We may feel superior to others because we’re on a particular brand bandwagon.

This behavior isn’t limited to technological gadgets. Brand identity and loyalty spans all industries. But visit any forum that has threads about particular brands and you’ll be sure to see some flame wars pop up. Sometimes it doesn’t even take criticism — praise one brand while excluding others and you may see the sparks begin to fly. We saw this at HowStuffWorks.com when we launched our iPhone app. Almost instantly, we were hit with questions about when we’d launch an Android app. Some of the people asking questions seemed insulted that we hadn’t yet launched an Android app.  These comments would sometimes turn into miniature flame wars between Apple fans and Android fans. Other brands had representation too as BlackBerry and Windows Phone 7 fans lobbed a few shots in.

It can be tough to have an objective conversation about brands just as it is challenging to accept criticism. But by being aware of this tendency, we’re less likely to fly off the handle the next time someone dares suggest our favorite smartphone, computer, software suite or mp3 player may not be the best in the world, unless that someone is a total jerk about it.