Level 7: The Community Campaigners
Have you ever wondered what happened to the young women who were invited to join Michael Jackson on stage as he sang You Are Not Alone?
One moment they were unhinged, screaming and nearly suffocated by the force of tens of thousands of similarly ecstatic people who were not lucky enough to be in the front row. The next moment, they were dragged out of the pit by security and carried onto the stage, only to find themselves in the middle of the performance, crying in the arms of their hero.
How did this cathartic encounter change the trajectory of their lives, you ask? Let me tell you.
Fully aware that they were the only kind of fan who knew what MJ smelled like, they took on the responsibility that came with it and became: The Community Campaigners.
While Advocates for Legacy speak to the public, the Community Campaigners speak to and for the lobby of Level 3+ fans themselves. They are the architects behind an elaborate network of thousands of Facebook pages, Instagram accounts, TikTok feeds, magazines, dedicated MJ websites, tribute events, merchandise and memorabilia shops, not to mention the countless local versions of all these forums for every country in the world (except North Korea).
Of course, there are official media channels from the Michael Jackson estate as well as from institutions like the Grammys or MTV. But if you visit the official website michaeljackson.com, you’ll learn nothing compared to fan sites like truemichaeljackson.com, mjjcommunity.com, or geniusmichaeljackson.com.
The Community Campaigners are meticulous content creators and curators. They will find everything that has ever been written about the King of Pop, and are constantly on the hunt for long lost images and videos of or about him. Once obtained, these treasures are remixed for every media format imaginable, quenching the thirst of fans with an endless stream of memories.
The Community Campaigners are pure souls. They know and believe every word Michael has ever said and will forever defend his innocence and grace.
Their platforms are digital campfires that warm the souls of all Level 4 to 10 fans. The comments section under each post or article is a beacon of hope in an otherwise hostile social media landscape. A tsunami of heart emojis, an outpouring of love, kind words of worship – there is much to learn from MJ’s Level 7 fan community.
But don’t be fooled by their benign presence. If provoked, the Community Campaigners and their loyal followers will do a 180 on Michael’s “I’m a lover, not a fighter” philosophy. Should a naysayer dare to disrupt the discussion in these arenas of joy, an army of fedora-wearing crusaders will unleash their wrath. Rarely has a nitpicker emerged from this battle the same person.
The Community Campaigners use special weapons against any kind of criticism: direct quotes from Michael Jackson himself (they have them memorized for a reason), gentle insults, and if none of that helps, an argument so strong it withstands any further rational dispute: “BECAUSE HE IS THE KING OF POP!”, followed by a heart emoji in a separate comment, because they value netiquette.