It might be also that the internet is pushing you to act like that. Like, if you don’t stalk your celeb are you even a fan?
When I was younger, I’d put a picture of my fav singer in my journal, maybe daydream about them and that was it. No one knew (and to be honest, I was too embarrassed to talk about my celeb crashes 😂). Now it’s like all of that is allowed on the internet and more.
I think the movement is also happening from the other side like you suggested near the end. People are sick of how much more money and power celebrities have. People like Taylor Swift are even more divisive now because everyone knows she is wealthy off the back fans, encouraging fans to buy all these limited edition records she releases and overcharging for tickets.
I’m finding it harder and harder to engage in celebrity worship like I once did because they are not using any of this to engage in political dialogue. It feels like they aren’t ‘doing enough’ to shift things that are impacting everyday people’s lives. We feel powerless and see these people with more doing nothing but filling their bank accounts.
I think some of the people partaking in celebrity worship now might not be aware of this jealousy or resentment under the surface so it pops up as more of a seeking out of special experiences / proximity to celebrities that isn’t necessarily treating celebrities with humanity. The ones who still fantasise about being brought into this kind of power and fame through closeness.
I find this phenomena still very present in kpop communities. As a fan myself, it's been interesting to navigate.
In the Kpop industry, the entertainment industries feed into the delusion that fans have some kind of ownership over their idols. I see it all the time. I've seen idols apologize to their fans for dating or having dated in the past. I've seen some break up after being outed as a couple. Yuzuru Hanyu had to divorce his wife because she was getting horrible attention from awful "fans".
In South Korea they have a term for obsessive stalkers, sasaeng, and they are some truly terrifying people. I heard this obsession is called limerance and tbh I think it fits pretty well. I watched a YouTube interview that a content creator did with a sasaeng and it was intense, exhausting, and sickening. The video isn't available anymore but there are some reaction videos still up.
It might be also that the internet is pushing you to act like that. Like, if you don’t stalk your celeb are you even a fan?
When I was younger, I’d put a picture of my fav singer in my journal, maybe daydream about them and that was it. No one knew (and to be honest, I was too embarrassed to talk about my celeb crashes 😂). Now it’s like all of that is allowed on the internet and more.
This parasociality is becoming too real.
I think the movement is also happening from the other side like you suggested near the end. People are sick of how much more money and power celebrities have. People like Taylor Swift are even more divisive now because everyone knows she is wealthy off the back fans, encouraging fans to buy all these limited edition records she releases and overcharging for tickets.
I’m finding it harder and harder to engage in celebrity worship like I once did because they are not using any of this to engage in political dialogue. It feels like they aren’t ‘doing enough’ to shift things that are impacting everyday people’s lives. We feel powerless and see these people with more doing nothing but filling their bank accounts.
I think some of the people partaking in celebrity worship now might not be aware of this jealousy or resentment under the surface so it pops up as more of a seeking out of special experiences / proximity to celebrities that isn’t necessarily treating celebrities with humanity. The ones who still fantasise about being brought into this kind of power and fame through closeness.
I find this phenomena still very present in kpop communities. As a fan myself, it's been interesting to navigate.
In the Kpop industry, the entertainment industries feed into the delusion that fans have some kind of ownership over their idols. I see it all the time. I've seen idols apologize to their fans for dating or having dated in the past. I've seen some break up after being outed as a couple. Yuzuru Hanyu had to divorce his wife because she was getting horrible attention from awful "fans".
In South Korea they have a term for obsessive stalkers, sasaeng, and they are some truly terrifying people. I heard this obsession is called limerance and tbh I think it fits pretty well. I watched a YouTube interview that a content creator did with a sasaeng and it was intense, exhausting, and sickening. The video isn't available anymore but there are some reaction videos still up.