What Does This Mean?
Short for "ego boost" — the specific pleasurable rush of validation and recognition a fan gets from having their work, opinion, or presence noticed and praised within a fandom community.
REAL-WORLD EXAMPLE
"I don't make money off my fanart, I do it for the egoboo."
LORE & ORIGIN
One of the oldest pieces of fandom-specific vocabulary in existence, coined by science-fiction fan Forrest J Ackerman in the 1940s within print fanzine culture, decades before the internet existed. It survived the transition into online fandom largely unchanged, still used to explain exactly why people keep writing fanfic and fan art for free — the payment is egoboo, not money.
EQUIVALENT CONCEPTS IN OTHER LANGUAGES
MENTIONS OVER TIME
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