The internet has slowly and forcefully integrated itself into everyday life, making information and worldwide communication available with the click of a button. However, in terms of celebrity culture and rising stars, this uptick in available information has made success quite a bit more difficult.
In Drew Afualo’s newest episode of her podcast “The Comment Section,” up-and-coming pop star Chappell Roan shared that her family’s personal information had been uploaded and spread on social media. For this reason, Roan has decided to take a step back from stardom, with no further details on what that means for her upcoming tour dates. Roan’s rise to fame happened quickly after her song “HOT TO GO!” went viral on TikTok, spiraling her to the top of the charts overnight.
This behavior from supposed online ‘superfans’ is nothing new, and this kind of harassment has been going on since the beginnings of internet culture. In 2015, professional violinist Mia Matsumiya created an Instagram account to document the harassment she had been facing online for almost a decade. Matsumiya opened up to the Huffington Post about how after so long she had no choice but to become desensitized by the scary and belittling comments. While this is an example of stalking and harassment, these were not people who called themselves fans of Matsumiya.
With how prevalent parasocial relationships are these days, it’s no stretch to say that these superfans feel entitled to information about their favorite musicians. Slowly, online culture has progressed and created safe spaces to share shocking details of performers’ lives. Recently, the metal band Sleep Token faced similar leaks from fans. The bassist for Sleep Token, known under the name III, had both a birth certificate and personal address released online. This was especially concerning to Sleep Token, as they use stage names and are known for their anonymity. The band has also taken a step back from the spotlight, with the group clearing their Instagram account and III deleting his own Instagram account earlier this year.
Both Chappell Roan and Sleep Token have chosen to disengage themselves from fans for the moment, creating a healthy distance to help themselves feel safe. For fans that don’t engage in spreading personal information of artists, this can feel disheartening.
So, what are some solutions to this? And how can fans support musicians without crossing any boundaries?
Well, it’s a lot more complicated in this day and age, as a simple scroll through X (formerly known as Twitter) can get you face-to-face with an artist’s personal information. The best thing to do in this case is to ignore the information and report accounts that spread it. If fans find that they’re having a hard time ignoring an artist’s personal information, then it might be a good idea to unpack why and what kind of parasocial relationships are making them feel the need to know so much about one artist or band.
Obviously there’s the financial ways to support an artist, such as buying records and CDs, going to concerts, or shopping for merch, but there’s a ton of healthy ways to emotionally support artists as well. Engaging in conversations about their art with other fans online is sometimes a slippery slope, but communicating boundaries with other fans about what is appropriate to discuss can facilitate online communities that are as respectful as they are fun. Creating art inspired by the artist’s work can be a big way to support them as well. Wether it’s derivative work created using the original as inspiration or fan art, both are building off of an artist’s work and show a love for their craft.
The majority of online fandoms are able to channel their love for artists into respectful means, the real thing to avoid is becoming obsessive.
While taking a step out of the limelight may stifle the growth of an artist, in cases like these it is absolutely necessary. While we can hope to see more from Chappell Roan and Sleep Token, that won’t happen without obsessive superfans taking their own step back from the media they admire.
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