As socialization increasingly shifts online, we are likely to form more (and more intense) parasocial bonds and see a blurring of the boundaries between the real and the parasocial. By Sohel Sarkar In 1893, when Arthur Conan Doyle shoved his fictional detective Sherlock Holmes off a cliff, fans went into public mourning, forcing the author...
Tag: stan culture
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From Tumblr To Twitter: The Increasing Dangers of Stan Culture
In stan culture, the anonymity on social media collide with celebrity worship, spawning a toxic environment that rewards obsessive and violent behaviour. “Halsey Is Very Sorry for Accidentally Calling for Another 9/11” is a headline that I never would have imagined reading in 2020. In yet another entry in the Celebrities Can’t Take Criticism canon,...
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What Celebrities Get Wrong About Criticism
Conflating criticism with hate is dangerous. Criticism is how we encourage growth and positive change, while shame and hatred serve to stifle both. Late last week, I had the misfortune of learning who Sarah Dessen is. One of her tweets was circulating my timeline, where she commented on a screenshot of what she painted as...