Lizzo. Matty Healy. Colleen Ballinger. All three names have caused a stir, but for the wrong reasons. The past few months have shown the importance of celebrity relationships in the media and in everyday life, and fans have been shocked to see celebrities reveal their less-than-pleasant personalities, despicable moral compass, or ability to commit heinous crimes . But why do people feel such passion toward people who are clearly being paid to behave a certain way?
When you think about all the connections you have in life, celebrities have proven that blood is not thicker than water. Since the emergence of the arts as a profession, people have turned to glorifying artists on a religious scale, and in 1956 this phenomenon was categorized with the term “parasocial relationship.” According to Oxford’s Dictionary of Media and Communication, parasocial relationships are “a type of psychological relationship that members of an audience experience in their mediated encounters with particular performers in the mass media.”
The creators of this term specifically warned about the duplicity of these parasocial relationships, as fans tend to neglect the reality of their relationship with someone they only know through a closely monitored form of reality. In 2023, this false intimacy has only gotten worse as people have unfettered access to high-profile interactions via social media.
Now technology presents an eerie illusion with live streams and vlogs that mimic real-life interactions. Furthermore, mass culture has promoted and normalized illusionary and invasive celebrity-fan relationships with tabloids and TMZ-like gossip shows actively instilling in fans a romanticized understanding of fame and a sense of entitlement as pseudo-sponsors of celebrities.
However, with this in mind, it has become clear to me that fans are not an innocent part of the parasocial cycle. In addition to the celebrities listed above, the Doja Cat scandal has recently caused controversy and speculation about the artists’ personal lives. Specifically, the Grammy winner has adopted a new social lifestyle focused on encouraging her fan accounts to delete themselves, and that “when you call yourself ‘Kitten’ or fucking ‘Kittenz,’ it means that “You have to get out.” “Pick up your phone, get a job and help your parents around the house.” This change in attitude towards “Kittenz”, a name given to themselves by fans of the artist, happened by chance when Doja Cat became her pop girl personality and opted for a new R&B sound with the upcoming album “Scarlet”.
This behavior led to a lot of angry and disappointed fans, but their controversy is rooted in the fact that their interactions on social media went from thoughtful and appreciative to aggressive and brash. Although this behavior has been branded by many as neglect of fans and apparent “self-sabotage” of her blossoming career, the musician has commented that this “change” in her personality is a way to rid her community of fans who are overzealously critical of her life, especially if it contradicts their personality or their expected behavior as a public figure. More specifically, this is about fans hoping to control Doja Cat and other celebrities the way they would themselves.
Meanwhile, the famous long to be unfettered outside of their work life expectations – just as anyone would expect when off duty. This case, along with this summer’s other drama, exposes a phenomenon at the heart of the obsession with celebrity scandals that I have called “the reality of duality.” “The Reality of Duality” encompasses the true expectations fans should have of celebrities as it consists of both their presentable public persona and a private and typically unmarketable persona.
Once a celebrity reveals their unattractive self to the media, fans are naturally awakened from their fantasy of marketable personalities, giving them the opportunity to reflect on their parasocial relationships. Fans tend to recognize that celebrities can simultaneously reflect two distorted forms of reality; one that attributes positive and presentable qualities and one that attributes negative and shameful qualities. With recent scandals, many fans have experienced the latter type of distortion, potentially revealing something about a part of them that they want to hide from the world, which conflicts with their own personalities in real-life interactions. As a result, fans may begin to excuse or criticize behaviors that are less appealing but apply to both beloved celebrities and themselves.
This is related to the normalization of intrusion into celebrities’ lives and the feeling of being entitled to know their private lives. As a result, many forget that celebrities, while talented, are not perfect and do have moments for mistakes and immorality. Therefore, it is time for fans to knock celebrities off their social pedestals and realize that talent and wealth do not negate the reality of parasocial relationships as relationships between flawed strangers.
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