Late to the Bandwagon, But Loving the Ride

I’ve never really been one to hop on the bandwagon when a new movie or book comes out. Harry Potter, The Lord of the Rings, The Hunger Games—none of them. I didn’t avoid them entirely, but I also never dove in headfirst like a lot of the people around me did.

What’s interesting is that I feel like I’m finally starting to understand the hype. A few years ago, I finally caved and read the Harry Potter books. All of a sudden, I’m a huge fan. I’ve watched The Hunger Games movies and enjoyed them well enough, but I’m reading through them right now, and it’s adding an extra depth that I find irresistible.

I still haven’t read The Lord of the Rings books, but I did get into The Hobbit, and I have a feeling that The Lord of the Rings books are on the horizon.

So, I’m not a bandwagon rider. At least not in the moment. I’m more like a guy who waits for most people to hop off the wagon so I can enjoy it with a bit of elbow room. I miss a lot of the hype in the moment, but that’s okay. I like to think of that initial wave like a real-world filter—if a series is good enough, the hype dies, but the fans stay quietly loyal.

Maybe it’s that subtle loyalty that draws me in. Once I see that someone I respect loves something for years and still enjoys it, it gets me curious.

That’s the interesting thing about the bandwagon. Not everything swept up by waves of popularity has high value. For each of the viral series I’ve joined so far, there have been dozens, if not hundreds, more that have been hyped up, only to fall away and end up largely forgotten.

Wait long enough, and you start to see the high-value stuff trickle through.