The Covid-19 outbreak was nothing short of an ill-fated disaster that struck us, causing havoc everywhere—from hospitals to schools, with not even the high profile conglomerates spared.
With death tolls increasing per every news update, and people forced to confine themselves to the four walls of their homes, panic and anxiety started to flood in. Businesses collapsed, offices shut, and the world flipped in the blink of an eye.
When everything else came to a pause in these challenging times, apart from the rising demand for tissues and hand sanitisers, there was one place that flourished—social media. And, so did online communities, forums, and discussions, blazing like wildfire through the media sphere like never before.
This was the very fact that set Covid-19 apart from the other pandemics. We are connected now more than ever, thus opening doors to new modes of socialising during the lockdowns.
Deprivation of any means to socialise and meet new people, coupled with an unprecedented amount of free time, led young people to find solace in online communities, to find a sense of belongingness. This particularly led to the rise of social media accounts promoting singers, actors, or anyone that fits the celebrity status.
Giving artists the ability to directly reach the entire fan base in a matter of seconds, and offering a space for the public to freely interact with the celebrities, Twitter has always been a breeding ground for fan-celebrity interaction, and now its successor “stan Twitter”.
Stan Twitter: What’s The Tea?
Wikipedia describes stan Twitter as a community of Twitter users that post opinions related to music, celebrities, TV shows, movies, and social media. The subculture provides a safe space for fans, or stans (extreme fans), to flaunt their love, admiration, and support for their idols without being judged.
Stan Twitter actively updates people of their celebrity’s latest updates, facts, or just random observations. Though idolising a celebrity is not new, stan Twitter is the love child of gen-Zs and social media. They have active discussions going on all the time, in real-time.
“It is good for other people like me who are too busy to follow them [celebrities] all the time. Stan accounts are so dedicated and helpful. They post notification, events, news and activities related to the artist. Because of the structure of Twitter that allows people to comment on a post as a thread and add more, it is fun to interact with others,” explained Catherine D’souza*, a follower of stan twitter since its initial days.
Celebrities often post pictures, vlogs, and more of their life, thus, decreasing the gap between the fan and the idol. Fans often join together to donate to charities in the name of their idols, the most notable being the army: the fans of the Korean pop (Kpop), boyband, BTS.
The army matched their idol group’s donation of $1 million in a day, to show solidarity, and supported the BLM (black lives matter) movement.
A Support System In Disguise
Kpop stans are the flag bearers of stan Twitter. With the Hallyu wave—a term coined to describe the phenomenal growth of Korean culture encompassing music, drama, cuisine, and more—people are flocking into the subculture more than ever.
Fan cams and fan-made videos flood Twitter, along with fanfictions to offer fantasies to devoted fans. Many have reported finding new friendships after hitting it off while actively supporting their idols.
These online friendships offer a chance to interact with people all over the world, with common interests. The virtual space provides a judgment-free space to share one’s worries and find support from fellow stans.
“I’ve had friendships on both ends of the spectrum: good and bad. The good ones are still ones I cherish and talk to from time to time, but the bad ones often tend to mask themselves as good people and eventually get called out. So, I’m usually very wary of talking to people online, but I wouldn’t mind indulging in it once in a while,” said April, an avid Kpop stan.
“Stan Twitter kind of made me come out of my shell because I’m shy around strangers in real life. When I joined stan Twitter, I found myself approaching people who became my friends that later on,” said Aly.
Such groups are also often left-leaning, with the biggest example being acquiring nearly 20,000 tickets for fake people for former US president Donald Trump’s rally in Tulsa. Obviously, these people didn’t show up. This was a way to show their dislike for Trump.
A Place For All, Or Maybe Not?
Arguably, stan Twitter is one of the best promoters and marketers of the artists they stan. It features the most vocal, passionate, and maybe even, aggressive fans. But, fans can be quick to boycott anyone who attacks, ignores or even stands in the way of their idols.
Racial and homophobic slurs may be hurled at someone with even the slightest disdain for their celebrity. “It depends. Usually, the smaller the fandom, the easier it is to make friends and interact. For example, I am a big fan of Cpop (Chinese pop) group WayV. They debuted in 2019. We were just a couple of 100 people, who were talking to each other and welcoming of others. But, as the fandom grew, so did the toxicity,” explained April.
Take “Arianators”, Ariana Grande’s loyal fans, who didn’t shy away from sending racist and homophobic messages, along with rape and death threats, to a journalist called Roslyn Talusan.
What was Talusan’s folly? She had called Grande a “spoiled white girl from Boca who pays people to write her music and design her costumes”, for dismissing people who work at blogs, an at-risk industry.
“I think it can be good to connect to people through their love for certain artists. But, sometimes they get way too invested in them and forget about real life. They start being hateful towards people who don’t like the same artists as they do,” said Sarita Chawla*.
Dragging one artist to hype up the other is the common route chosen, along with bullying anyone not supporting their favourite. Stan culture can also directs fans towards building unhealthy coping mechanisms by creating a delusional, obsessive relationship with celebrities.
All Hope Is Not Lost
Stan Twitter can be a powerful medium for change, as well as a hub for discussing global issues and fostering friendships. Your voice matters, and has the power to reach millions, but is also subject to harsh criticism by millions.
Isolating people, especially celebrities, into a black and white character check system isn’t practical.
“There will, of course, be some negative people in the group, but the majority of stans are positive and supportive of each other. To avoid drama, we often use memes and funny clips of our idols,” said D’souza.
“As someone who runs a fan account themselves, I find it very engaging and sometimes very funny when I use it. I don’t go on my main account as often as I used to, due to the repeated conflicts people engage in. Otherwise, it’s a great way to show artists we’re there and encourage them, since they see social media often. So, spreading love and being kind is what the purpose should be,” said a stan account owner, who is currently running one for the girl group Aespa.
Stan Twitter is not a bed of roses. But, it has created a large social support system during the pandemic, saving many from the dreaded state of loneliness.
A boundary when drawn carefully, with the maturity to separate your fantasies from reality and accepting that it is okay for every individual to have a different opinion can make stan Twitter a better place.
*Names changed to protect privacy
Featured image is for representational purposes only. Photo credit: Nazly Ahmed, Flickr.
Note: The author is a part of the Dec ’21 batch of the Writer’s Training Program.