Griffin Lotz writes for Rolling Stone
Last month, amidst the heated Nicki Minaj and Megan Thee Stallion beef, TMZ reported that the cemetery where Megan’s mother Holly Thomas is buried was buried by one of Nicki’s fans (collectively known as “The Barbs.”) Although the threat had nothing to do with it, its brazenness was nonetheless seen as a low point in stan culture, leading many to believe that the depth of celebrity stundom itself was a mental illness.
Stan culture is a problem of obsessive fandom. Fans cry watching snippets of Playboy’s Carti, stream Nicki’s songs to the top of the charts while they sleep, and impulsively buy whatever Ye or Travis Scott puts on sale. But the rise of social media has also given music fans a digital battlefield to defend their favorite artists. Those who criticize many of today’s great artists risk being singled out and harassed for exhibiting behavior that cannot be attributed solely to the quality of someone’s music.
Stan culture is a pop culture manifestation of antisocial behavior and is not new. Eminem’s “Stan”, about his murderous fanatics, was released in 2000. Remarkably, however, Eminem never mentions the Internet in this song. Live streaming has given fans more access than ever to the artist, who regularly visits sites like her Instagram Live and her Twitch to interact with her fans. An artist like Tee Grizzly has his own GTA server where he and his supporters rampage through the world of GTA. Artists like Kenny Beats and former Brockhampton member Don Mclennon run his Discord servers, where they interact with fans and share insights about music production. This kind of interaction elevates the artist from a poster on a fan’s wall to someone with whom they can potentially interact, strengthening parasocial bonds.
This dynamic also plays out in X, where Nicki Minaj’s Barbs celebrate when their tweets are liked and quoted by the Queens rapper. That’s especially true in the heated debate over Megan’s “His” and Nicki’s “Bigfoot” records, where Megan’s most ardent supporters tried to prove they were wartime supporters. We competed. These heated exchanges are so prevalent that some stans may become celebrities in their own right in upcoming documentary films. stanceabout Superfans, appropriately executive produced by Eminem.
Professors Sally Celan and Azadeh Alai told Rolling Stone that the intersection of fandom, social media and music is still being studied. Celan is a professor of psychology at Wellesley College and a licensed clinical psychologist. She states that parasocial relationships are one-sided and take place in the imagination of a celebrity’s fans. “You might have an imaginary conversation [your fave] In my head,” she says. “You might be able to imagine what advice they would give you. You might be able to imagine what it would be like to have them as friends.”
Parasocial relationships are not inherently bad. In 2009, author and then-Arizona State University professor Jimmy Sanderson published an article on the boy band New Kids on the Block’s official website that investigated the group’s relationship maintenance efforts with their fans. Presented the research results. In this study, “audiences shared how NKOTB shaped their moral character and how NKOTB served as an important support mechanism for them during the difficult experiences they endured throughout their lives.” “I did it.” It’s Donald Glover’s flock Celan, who shared the horrifying downside of fans clinging to an artist loosely modeled after Beyoncé, says Queen B is similarly a positive figure for her fanbase. “She’s so self-actualized. She’s such a powerful person. She created everything she accomplished,” Teran says. “Imagine yourself being 14 years old and thinking about who you want to be and starting to internalize some of Beyoncé’s traits. That can be really helpful and powerful.”
Azadeh Arai is a writer, associate professor of psychology at Queensborough Community College, and adjunct professor of psychology at New York University. She says those most likely to portray parasocial relationships are skilled at inspiring a sense of connection with their fans. She believes Taylor Swift’s intimate lyrics have stirred up a “strong and loyal fan base”. She also said that the “lack of sophistication” in Britney Spears’ social media presence “raises the perception that she is very authentic, which gives them the feeling that they really know her.” “It can increase the emotional attachment you develop.” That’s one of her characteristics in building a larger parasocial relationship. ”
People most susceptible to parasocial relationships are usually younger (and more susceptible) and/or lack personal relationships. Both professors say COVID-19 quarantines have exacerbated parasocial behavior in ways researchers are currently analyzing. “Social media use, and technology use more generally, increased, especially during the early stages of the pandemic as people practiced social distancing. It may have increased,” he says.Celan further added, “Many people, when they feel lonely or feel more isolated, turn to celebrities for connection. very helpful for [where] They meet some of their needs. Although it cannot replace a real, direct relationship, it can be considered as a complement. ”
Is compulsive grandstanding the cure for male loneliness? Probably not, but some are managing to hang on amidst the epidemic of quarantine after quarantine. While many people were isolated during the COVID-19 quarantine and never readjusted to the outside world, some are unable to do so due to health reasons. A recent Atlantic article looked at how people are replacing real-life interactions with more screen time. Streamers, Tiktokers, and podcasters aren’t industry upstarts for nothing. They benefit from a generation that spends a surprising amount of time alone. New York City Mayor Eric Adams is planning to sue social media companies for supposedly “fueling a national youth mental health crisis.”
So will the next DSM (the standard mental illness index used by American mental health professionals) announce an official diagnosis to address obsessive fandom? Both professors say the study is still too early to draw conclusions.
“We found out that the DSM includes something like obsessive-compulsive disorder as a provisional diagnosis, and that’s where most diagnoses start,” Celan says. “For example, bulimia is now a diagnosis in the DSM, but it used to be provisional.” I think what we’re looking for is a pattern of behavior that destroys or interferes with your quality of life. And for most people who have parasocial interactions, that’s a pattern of behavior that disrupts or disrupts your quality of life. It’s not something that’s going to happen.”
“I don’t expect anything like that to happen with DSM anytime soon,” Arrai said. “It would take a lot of research to justify something like that. To the extent that we pathologize or identify specific diseases associated with it. In terms of problematic parasocial relationships. , I still think it’s going to be more of a fringe thing. I don’t think parasocial relationships in and of themselves cause negative things, unless we’re talking about really problematic public figures. not.”
Celan said the rise of Instagram and Twitter has increased awareness of access to celebrities. “It’s very difficult for people to separate themselves from their favorite celebrities’ social media and realize that it’s often run by professionals,” she says. “In fact, that’s not who they want to engage with.” But artists may also post to their own accounts, and the interactivity of Instagram Live and Twitter Q&A reinforces parasocial dynamics. Just do it.
Arai says social media, especially X, has created communities for people who have quasi-social relationships with the same celebrities. “Parasocial relationships exist between users and celebrities, but they can be further strengthened or extended by a larger community of fans of the same person,” Arrai says. That’s not necessarily a bad thing. For people experiencing loneliness, it can be helpful to meet like-minded people who are fans of the same artists. And it’s a positive thing when fans come together to raise awareness about the release of their favorite titles. But when Stan is defending the numbers they value, they can treat their timeline like a digital war zone.
Today, rap beefs aren’t just about rivalries between artists, they’re about dueling fanbases, and between Nicki and Cardi B, Drake and Kanye, and others who dominate X’s Timeliness and subreddits. Seen in battle. Taylor Swift fans recently declared a “Swifty Emergency” and asked other fans to listen to Beyoncé’s “Texas” in order to prevent Swift’s supposed nemesis, Kanye West, from reaching Billboard No. 1. He urged people to stream “Hold’em.” Kanye addressed the controversy in a now-deleted Instagram post, where he had to tell the Swifties: “I’m not your enemy, uh, I’m not your friend lol.”
Arrai said the worst examples of parasocial relationships emerge from fans with what she called “latent vulnerabilities.” As an extreme example, she points to former President Donald Trump inciting his supporters to storm the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021. She also mentions a fan of Kurt Cobain, who, like him, died by suicide in 1994. Fans don’t do that,” she says. “It’s a very specific segment of his followers who are already emotionally unstable and have no choice but to engage in that kind of imitative behavior.”
There are less tragic, but still troubling examples in the entertainment world. Barbz is notorious for harassing rival artists and exposing people who criticize the legendary rapper. Last November, she told fans on her Instagram Stories: Whether it’s a joke or not.i don’t [and] I have never condoned that. ”
Mr. Ally said: [the problematic behavior is] It is not necessarily directly encouraged by public figures themselves. It may simply be the fan base participating in such behavior themselves, or it may simply be using their fans as a cover for more problematic or anti-social behavior. ” She cited examples of male fans of artists harassing women by accusing their favorite men of violence, saying, “A lot of this kind of behavior has become normalized on social media platforms. It could be argued that there is.” But she says it’s hard to draw conclusions because she doesn’t know if there’s research yet to support a particular anecdote. ”
Both professors agree that parasocial relationships are not inherently problematic and can have benefits depending on who the idol is. However, there are some differences in how to characterize extreme fans who expose personal information or harass on behalf of their favorites. “This group of people is almost a separate category from people who invest in parasocial relationships,” Celan said. Mr Arai said this was essentially a corrupted version of anti-social behavior, fueled by underlying issues, adding: “It’s becoming overly obsessive and causing problems. That concern probably also includes potential vulnerabilities to things like mental illness.”
Parasocial relationships, violent grandstanding, and the attention-seeking nature of social media combine to make music fandom a minefield. Fights between artists turn into angry contests on social media between fan bases. Anyone offering legitimate criticism of an artist is ripe for harassment. That’s why Celan cited Taylor Swift telling fans not to harass his ex-girlfriends, and that public figures are responsible for how they engage and uplift their stance. argues that it should.
“I think having this kind of fandom is incredibly powerful, and it’s up to the individual how they build that power,” she says. “I think history will have a negative impact on those who have weaponized history in destructive ways.”