In the age of social media, interacting with celebrities and influencers online is easier than ever. With the advent of masses – a subculture made up of groups of fans for a particular topic or person – and “stan culture” – a similar online culture made up of very loyal fans – another phenomenon has emerged as well: parasitic relationships.
According to Verywell Mind, parasitic relationships are “a one-sided relationship[s] that a media user is dealing with a media personality.” The dynamic of these relationships creates unfair expectations on media personality and can lead to mental health issues for both parties involved.
When fans associate with Internet personalities or online celebrities, they begin to make assumptions about their lives and opinions. Para-social relationships create a sense of entitlement and obligation between the two parties involved. Fans feel entitled to emotionally associate themselves with celebrities and assume they know everything about them, without ever knowing them personally. Fans can also set expectations based on their own perceptions of their favorite celebrity without realizing the impact this might have on the celebrity’s well-being. Because of this monogamous side of the parasitic relationship, celebrities are left to fend for themselves not only against obsessive fans who pressure them to perform a certain way, but they also have to balance not being seen as ungrateful to the fan base that contributed to their fame.
One recent example of this is between singer-rapper Doja Cat and her fan base, when fans in Paraguay expressed concerns on Twitter that Doja Cat would not support those who waited outside her hotel in the rain after she canceled her concert due to a storm. At first, Doja Cat responded with frustration due to the anger and high expectations of her fans. The controversy prompted her to declare that she would “stop music”.
A large fan base like Doja Cat tends to create high expectations about their favorite celebrities, which often leads to the ultimate downfall of the parties involved. Fans are disappointed when the unrealistic expectations they set aren’t met, and celebrities deal with the consequences of setting their personal boundaries.
Due to the structure of parasitic relationships, mental health is one of the factors that can be significantly affected. Fans who are emotionally attached to celebrities may develop an unhealthy obsession, and if the celebrity lets them down in any way, it can drastically alter a fan’s mental health. Especially if fans are clinging to celebrities rather than real-life friends, the mental impact is inevitable. Parasocial relationships allow for less feelings of loneliness and a sense of social interaction, but they come at a price: These relationships are limited, at a distance, and often only fabricated in the minds of fans.
Adding to an individual’s mental health, parasitic relationships allow fans to extract their personalities from a unique external factor—in this case, celebrities. A fan may feel pressure to support the celebrity they obsess over anything and everything they do, even if that celebrity makes harmful decisions. Para-social relationships cause fans to see tunnel vision by focusing only on the celebrities they choose and inheriting their personal characteristics, which leads to a major shift in fans in their sense of self and values.
There are risks with companies and celebrities that encourage this behavior, either through controlling how celebrities are seen to attract obsessive audiences or through the actions celebrities take when interacting with fans. For example, in the K-pop industry, many celebrities are prohibited from dating so that they are seen as “available” to fans. Celebrities themselves may succumb to this behavior by constantly interacting with fans online and even making friends with their fans. While there is nothing wrong with a healthy celebrity interaction, celebrities need to know where to draw the line if they don’t see this friendship continuing into the future. Otherwise, fans may feel encouraged to obsess over their favorite celebrities and develop the harmful aspects of the parasitic relationship.
While social relationships can feel just as satisfying as personal relationships, it is important to realize the truth of the relationship. Celebrities, while most thank their fans for their fame, owe nothing to their fans. Celebrities don’t know each of their fans personally, so fans should understand these boundaries when they feel connected to them.
Camellia Haynes is an opinion writer. It can be accessed at [email protected].
