There is something in the air in Sydney. A strange brew of hormones and frenzied excitement, with a backing track of high pitched squeals and pubescent male crooning.
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British-Irish boy band One Direction are in town, and we are caught in the frenzy. But don't pretend that you, like, were always, like, a fan.
True fans, or directioners, loved them from the beginning and all you directionators who just, like, think Harry is the best because he has cute hair should just SHUT UP!
Niall Horan, Zayn Malik, Liam Payne, Harry Styles and Louis Tomlinson, who are on a sold-out tour of Australia, are all loved equally.
The passionate love and dedication that many teenagers feel for the teen pop sensation are a result of overactive hormones and a drive for identity, combined with cunning marketing that uses new and old media to create a frenzy, experts say.
Kimberley O'Brien, the principal child psychologist at Sydney's Quirky Kid Clinic, said finding an identity outside family and school is particularly important for teenagers.
“It's the first time they can be independent and be part of something that they can develop a sense of attachment to,” she said.
And the heightened connection and emotional responses some feel are more likely in teenage years, when mood swings are the norm.
“I guess they don't have to dig deep to cry and that's OK,” she said.
Teenagers are also particularly influenced by their friends and peers, and seeing constant video footage of how other fans react influences them.
“They may have seen snippets of that crowd excitement or fanfare with the Beatles or Justin Bieber, so they're perhaps mimicking that sort of hysteria,” she said.
“To see that ... and then to think 'imagine being there'; once they are there they're going to be in the moment and making the most of it.”
An expert in the psychology of consumer behaviour from the Queensland University of Technology, Edwina Luck, said creating that mix of emotional attachment and excitement is quintessential brand-building.
Dr Luck, who has two daughters who are One Direction fans, said she was fascinated to see the constant process of teasing and excitement building that was used in the band's promotion.
Singles all had online countdowns on YouTube, and new photos, clips and bits of information are released regularly on Twitter and Facebook (where they are liked by 4.3 million users), along with tip-offs to media outlets.
This allowed fans to build a strong emotional connection as well as spend a lot of time thinking and learning about the brand.
While other people with big online fan bases such as Charlie Sheen had harnessed a pre-existing interest, One Direction was created from scratch.
“These boys have been developed and, yes OK, they have been developed by very clever business people and they have obviously got a very fantastic team,” she said.
“But the girls don't care about that, or they don't believe that they are manufactured.”
Dr Luck said there were many examples of brands trying to build similar grassroots attachment or frenzy and failing.
“It's right place, right time, right people, the formula has to be just right.”
