What kind of a Lost Fan are you?

A throw-back to July 2006. Below is an article by Doc Jensen that was worthy of a revival.

THE OFFICE THEORY OF LOST FANDOM

I had the pleasure of interviewing ABC's head of marketing, Mike Benson. During our conversation, Mr. Benson explained that Lost fans can be divided into three separate categories. To paraphrase, they are:

1. Heavy, super-savvy Internet users. Their fandom is expressed (daily) at places like thefuselage.com. According to Benson, the smallest segment of the Lost audience, albeit the most conspicuous. (Certainly the most interesting, in my book.)

2. Casual to heavy Internet users; tech savvy but maybe not tech intimate. They might visit places like thefuselage.com, but they only lurk. Confession: While I aspire to be like the fans at the tip of this tri-level pyramid, Doc Jensen more often makes his home in this nebulous middle stratum.

3. The largest segment of the audience. The tech aptitude is irrelevant, as their Lost fandom doesn't extend to the Internet. Presumably, these fans aren't as interested or invested in what we would call the ''mythology'' of the show.

As I have considered Benson's analysis over the past several weeks, I found myself thinking about NBC's The Office. See, to my addled mind, the breakdown of Lost fandom can be translated like this:

1. THE DWIGHT TYPE. The loud and proud geek. At the annual office Halloween party, Dwights would probably come dressed as Dr. Marvin Candle. They know every word of the Swan and Pearl orientation films. Some have even made their own orientation films and posted them at youtube.com. If you think you're a Dwight, but resent being likened to Dwight, think twice before flaming me with complaints: That would totally be a Dwight thing to do.

2. THE MICHAEL TYPE. The fuzzy middle tier of the pyramid. At the annual office Halloween party, Michaels would probably come dressed as Locke: Season One Island Shaman Hero...though they may adhere more often to the Season Two Hatch-Dazzled ''I Was Wrong'' Fool. The Michael analogy might be a little harsh, but since I myself am a Michael, I do believe these Losties share one characteristic with the character: they awkwardly straddle two worlds. Their enthusiasms trend nerdy, but are wary of ''looking nerdy.'' If you think you're a Michael, but resent being likened to Michael, think twice about flaming me with complaints — that's just the kind of nerdy thing Dwight would do.

3. THE JIM/PAM TYPE. The broad base of fandom. At the annual office Halloween party, Jims and Pams come dressed as...Jim or Pam from The Office. Jims and Pams have seen every episode of Lost, but many of them might TiVo it in favor of American Idol during the spring. They are all certainly the type of Lostie who would look at Andrew Smith's ''Ultimate Lost Theory'' and roll their eyes like a non-fan. The worst thing about a Jim or Pam is that they're probably the type who still believes that Purgatory explains the show, despite the repeated memos from Damon and Carlton. But then, they may have no idea who Damon and Carlton are...