Some say it originated from the words “stalker” and “Stan” some say Eminem started the trend with his hit song Stan. However, it traces back to the internet and its insane ability to birth new trends without tiring. Generally, stan culture is known as the next big obsession created by mutuals for a particular celebrity or social media sensation.

Nowadays, The trend “Stanning” has taken over all social media networks, and it’s not just a gender thing. It’s everywhere. where stans have constant access to their favourite celebrities. This unlimited access to celebrities has made people think it’s okay to obsess over them, discuss their personal lives or attack people who don’t like that specific celebrity. Stan culture glorifies stalking and promotes bullying. In my opinion, stan culture is unhealthy for everyone involved.

There’s nothing wrong with having a “stan” as people used to say. Well, to many it’s nothing more than being a fan. Or showing a little bit of “fan love”. It all started getting out of hand when fans started having unlimited access to celebrities. This unlimited access to celebrities on social media, with “Twitter” ‘Instagram” and “Facebook” being the main culprits has deluded fans into thinking it’s okay to obsess over them. It’s not. It’s now gotten to the point where they model their lives after those of celebrities. They discuss their personal lives whenever they are presented with the opportunity and attack people who don’t like or are against the celebrity they are fascinated with. This culture epitomises stalking and encourages bullying on a large scale. It is essentially an unhealthy practice for every party involved.

Stan culture encourages fan obsession over celebrities, and strangely it gives them a sense of ownership and entitlement towards them. This is unhealthy on every level and has led to really disturbing obsessions which often results in violence.

Popular American singer, “Taylor Swift” once had a stalker who contacted her dad with threats to terminate her entire family. The man was later caught in 2016 while trying to follow her from a concert venue to the airport. However, other celebrities are not so lucky though as these threats are often followed up which may lead to serious maiming or worse death. On the other hand, stans have now developed an unhealthy attachment to popular figures which fuels toxicity and rage. Some have gone ahead everyone else to form communities of their own making ( mostly online) to discuss their fascination and affection for their object of attraction. At the same time, they attack other fan bases who dare to think otherwise.
Final Take
Despite several incidents of privacy violation and horrifying negativity displayed by these big and overzealous fans, there’s no doubting that stan culture has become that threshold for users all over the world to connect. A means for people of a different race to connect deeply, to share their love with one another, as well as the world, over the people who have greatly impacted their life.
Somewhere amidst all the headlines of stan culture — obsessive fans resides a platform of thousands of people showcasing various types of energetic love that is able to completely change the course of the media.