These past few years on social media opened my eyes to Stan culture, especially on Twitter. A stan is an obsessed fan who will dedicate most of their existence to someone they admire, mostly celebrities. They will post pictures of them on the internet regularly, post song lyrics (if they’re a musician), or do something else to show their love for them. The term was first coined by Eminem, who released a song called Stan, which tells the story of a crazy fan named Stan.
It can get a bit creepy at times. Sometimes they will post something that sexualizes them in a way they are mostly disgusted by, defend actions that are pretty much crimes, or get hostile when someone makes a valid criticism towards them.
One of my experiences with this is with a band that I’m a huge fan of. I won’t name them just in case but I do have a hard criticism about them. I pointed it out and I was immediately met with hostility from the fanbase, saying that I’m a hater. I wasn’t even trying to be rude to them in the slightest. I don’t think there was a chance they would even see. But the fans think that the band need to be defended at all cost. These people need to realize that when people become famous, they should become more susceptible to criticism or any kind of negative comments.
Stan communities give people a sense of belonging, so naturally, they would make it their life. However, becoming obsessed is something that even people within communities wouldn’t dare to touch. I even found some situations where people would do things that can affect someone in the real world, such as finding their home address or calling their parents. That’s a line that people should never cross and once they’re exposed, it will make the majority of the fanbase look bad, even if they weren’t the ones involved.
Stan culture probably won’t be going away anytime soon. I don’t have a problem with being a big fan of someone, but there are boundaries that shouldn’t be crossed. Those lines might not always be clear, but you should probably know what not to do.