hahah, I probably should just comment on your jonas brother article instead, but i figure you'll see this one at least. That was a great article, so funny, it's cool to see the beginnings of popsense! Anyway, I'd agree with what you were saying in there, today these bands have the options of reaching out through the internet and lots of constant contac that makes them appear 'human' as you said!

I think the obsessive levels were probably about equal, though I think the jonas brothers may stick around longer. The idea that they play instruments makes their appeal very wide and hard to take down.

hahah, it's hard to tell! At the time it seemed like everyone loved nsync and the backstreet boys, but today's kids and their love for the jonas brothers (and miley cyrus as well) seems so over the top. I can't believe some of those comments, these kids are so intense!

For now it's hard to fully judge, but I do think that this love for the jonas brothers is far deeper than the love for nsync or the backstreet boys. This love fest seems so much more intense because of all those internet connections, because of their youtube stuff, their blog, etc. These kids think they know the jonas brothers... it's sorta sad.

i dunno guys... people were OBSESSED with nick carter and justin timberlake. I wonder if maybe... there were only one 'great' boyband instead of the two superpowers, whether the obsession that would be created for that one super group would overrule that of the j-bros? hmmm, could be?

Oh man, you told off those kids so badly haha, i bet they were all little girls, that's sad, but hey, they were going way overboard... don't mess with popsense!

Moving along.
I think that the level of commitment is higher on behalf of these fans because, as you've observed of late, kids have less to hang on to anymore, so when one of these bands seems to keep up their good-guy reputation, keep putting out easily-accessible music, and appearing all over tv and the web... they can't say no.

I just know I fucking hate the Jonahs Brothers. So much that I still spell their name wrong.

I hate to say it, but I think at the very least the Jonas Brothers are more talented than the boy bands were, just because they play instruments and such, so maybe that impresses people more? I dont know though about how much people today like them vs. them, i'd like to see some numbers on their sales/their concert tickets etc

Dear Lord, can no one remember Beatlemania? There were riots, people, riots!
And before the Beatles, there was Sinatra, wasn't there?
Let's be honest here, teenage girls identify frighteningly with nonthreatening teen idols, who have girlish good looks, vague but positive messages, and heavy exposure. If your other option was Paris Hilton, wouldn't you? Girls don't fall for these artists because of their music or street cred but because they don't have other role models. The Jonas Brothers and Miley Cyrus (Jesus Christ, that's not even HER NAME) are not as big as they are in and of themselves but rather because Disney has made them into the only option out there for young girls to admire. The corporate machine has papered them onto the preteen psyche.

Young women are erased or eroded in pop culture. Without role models that speak to their own identities, I can't blame little girls for clinging to pseudo selves like the Jonas Bros, even if it makes me sad.

Thanks a lot for the comments guys, all very insightful. We can all definitely agree that the fans are intense, but as our last poster pointed out, it seems that this trend goes much further back than I was considering, and for reasons deeper than just a pretty face on a boy. Thanks again to all, hope everyone enjoyed the special extra post today with our new music video!