Photo by Anthony Delanoix via Unsplash
It’s time for people to face the hard, cold truth: that no matter how hard they support their favorite celebrity, and no matter how many times a celebrity professes their love for their admirers, that dynamic will always be shallower and more superficial than they want you to believe.
Take Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour, for example. There are countless TikToks that show tickets for her performances being resold (and bought) for thousands of dollars, with some fans going as far as selling valued possessions in order to be able to attend.
People who can’t secure tickets are left to stand in line in hopes of getting a last-minute spot. Some even camp outside the venue to watch Swift perform on the stadium screens. Her fans praise these creative tactics and post numerous videos about the heartwarming, supportive attitude of Swifties both inside and outside the tour venues, but they neglect to address the ugly truth of the beast they’re feeding into.
From fans spending thousands of dollars for overpriced tickets that might not even have a view of the stage to people camping in line for overpriced, low-quality merchandise, it’s time to recognize that this culture is not cute, and it is not wholesome.
That’s not to say that Swift is a bad person or a bad artist to support – but it’s time to take stock of the situation and recognize that you can criticize her and set a boundary for yourself while still being a fan.
In the end, taking actions (whether it’s positive or negative) in honor of a public figure does nothing to help the fan and does everything to help the celebrity, without that favor being repaid. Still, fans continue to go out of their way to defend and support their favorite creators to the point of financial and mental health burdens. In the grand scheme of things, their die-hard devotion often glosses over fan culture’s darker side.
From sports fanatics flipping cars in the name of their favorite team to Lady Gaga fans chasing Ed Sheeran off Twitter for comments he made, ultimately, neither the team nor Lady Gaga probably cared either way.
Ludwig, a former Twitch streamer turned YouTube streamer posted a video in 2021 titled “I Am Not Your Friend” that discussed the issue from the celebrity point of view.
To summarize in brief, Ludwig talks about how content creators and celebrities provide entertainment for their fans, but in the end, whatever engagement happens between the two parties is surface level at most.
“If Ariana Grande tweets ‘I love you,’ she doesn’t love you,” Ludwig said. “She cannot love you; she will never love you – she only loves the entire group of people who let her do what she loves to do, which isn’t the same as loving you.”
So, how can fans balance their love of a celebrity, art or team in a healthy manner without verging into dangerous territory
It’s okay to go to a concert, purchase merchandise and whatever else comes with being a fan of something. The important distinction isn’t that fans can’t support what they love, or protest things they hate – it’s recognizing when those feelings have gone beyond a critique or appreciation for a form of entertainment.
Love Taylor Swift. Cheer for the Detroit Lions (my family does, and I know they’re not good). But if you’re telling a streamer “You saved my life” as Ludwig mentions in his video or risking your online safety to duel with other intense fans, then maybe it’s time to take a step back and re-evaluate why you’re making those decisions in the first place.
Are you standing outside Taylor Swift’s concert venues because it means something to you, or are you feeding into her fan culture of what it ‘should’ mean to be a fan? Did Ludwig save your life, or did the personality and confidence from his streams give you a role model to save yourself?
