We\u2019ve all joked about being on a first-name basis with a celebrity, or personal friends with a high-profile figure. But what happens when it stops being a joke and fans begin to form what they view as a serious bond with a celebrity they\u2019ve never met?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Parasocial relationships are a dangerous and slippery slope. A parasocial relationship is when a fan or follower has strong, one-sided feelings for a prominent figure with whom they have no contact with. Although it might provide comfort to someone who\u2019s feeling lonely, I honestly think those who engage in a parasocial relationship with a famous individual need a wake-up call: you do not know this person.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Celebrities and public figures often have an entire team dedicated to crafting a perfect public image. Every aspect of their persona is purposefully cultivated to be shown to their fans. We don\u2019t know what they\u2019re really like or if they really use the products or services they endorse. A celebrity\u2019s presence is a persona, not their raw personality. Even famous people whose whole shtick is being down-to-earth and humble have lives that aren\u2019t shown to the public.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The dangers of parasocial relationships become even more apparent with social media platforms. Celebrities and influencers use apps like TikTok to share a more personal and authentic view of themselves with their followers. While entertaining, this kind of unfiltered and unrestricted content can give fans a false sense of familiarity. Additionally, drama channels and accounts report on influencers\u2019 personal lives, often asking invasive and inappropriate questions. It\u2019s important to take what influencers say with a grain of salt \u2013 just because they film and post a \u201cwhat I eat in a day\u201d vlog doesn\u2019t mean that\u2019s actually all they ate. The obsession to be as perfect as possible is unhealthy and, unfortunately, many celebrities and influencers spread that obsession to their fans. It can be detrimental to a person\u2019s health to constantly worry about how they\u2019re being perceived.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n I\u2019m not saying every celebrity is secretly evil \u2013 although that opens up a whole other can of worms. I\u2019m urging us \u201cregular\u201d people not to get so attached to these \u201cideal\u201d figures. You can see the negative effects of parasocial relationships by looking at die-hard fans, specifically Taylor Swift fanatics, the Swifties.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Swifties are notorious for being quick to defend Taylor\u2019s every move, even going so far as to send death threats to her dissenters and critics. There is no rational explanation for behaving that way. Yes, she\u2019s released some good music, but she\u2019s also exhibited some pretty selfish behavior. Swift has been accused of releasing re-recordings of her music just in time to prevent other artists from topping the charts and unnecessarily traveling by plane, emitting loads of carbon emissions and attempting to stifle the individual who published that flight and carbon emission information by threatening to sue him, according to this <\/span>BBC article<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n One track on Swift\u2019s latest album, \u201cActually Romantic,\u201d not only shares a similar intro to The Pixies\u2019 \u201cWhere Is My Mind,\u201d but also displays a devastating misunderstanding of Charli XCX\u2019s \u201cSympathy Is A Knife,\u201d in which Charli details her insecurities surrounding Taylor being such a successful artist. In \u201cActually Romantic,\u201d Taylor\u2019s fanbase has resorted to blatantly calling Charli a cokehead and alluding to Charli having a romantic interest in Taylor \u2013 it\u2019s oddly reminiscent of Regina George\u2019s comment about Janis in \u201cMean Girls:\u201d \u201cWhy are you so obsessed with me?\u201d I encourage those ready to go to bat for their favorite celebrity to remind themselves to worry about their own life before stressing over someone else\u2019s.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Swifties continue to argue with others on the internet, insisting that Swift\u2019s intentions are pure. How do you know what she meant? Unless you heard from the pop singer herself, I beg of you: are you speaking as your own person, or on behalf of a celebrity? You can be a fan of someone and still question their intent and dislike parts of their discography. You\u2019re not required to be a die-hard, a no-matter-what, blind follower.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n I\u2019m not sure which celebrities and influencers are genuine with their fanbase, but it goes to show that we do not truly know celebrities. They all have skeletons in their closet; the personality they show to the world is most likely not completely accurate to how they act at home.<\/span><\/p>\n It\u2019s concerning to see how many people become so consumed by their admiration for a celebrity that they\u2019re so dedicated to defending that celebrity\u2019s every move. The figure you\u2019re looking up to and wanting to bond with was specifically curated for public consumption. Building a relationship with someone you know in person, in real life, face-to-face, is infinitely healthier and better for your social development. Please, stay grounded. In the simplest of terms, touch grass.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n \u2018 The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n \u2018 Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.hilltopviewsonline.com \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" We\u2019ve all joked about being on a first-name basis with a celebrity, or personal friends with a high-profile figure. But what happens when it stops being a joke and fans begin to form what they view as a serious bond with a celebrity they\u2019ve never met?\u00a0 Parasocial relationships are a dangerous and slippery slope. 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