Ever think about how much you love that one celebrity? Celebrities are human but, in our heads, it’s soo easy to forget that. Enter superfans, stans, and fandom.

It’s not that it’s fair, but can you blame us? At the same time, how is it that the public can grow so close towards these figures that we don’t really know?

https://twitter.com/taaehhyungg/status/1293291999186038787

To all the superfans out there…

Before we ask why let’s step back and ask what. This type of relationship that a person adopts with celebrities is typically referred to as a para-social relationship.

These relationships aren’t exactly new. In fact, the term ‘para-social interaction’ was first coined in the 50s by two sociologists, known as Horton and Wohl.

This term was first used to describe the relationship between a performer and their audience members.

For example, a relationship where the audience member felt completely close, like a friend, to someone who really had no clue of their existence. In other words, it was used to analyze fan behavior.

In more recent definitions, the terms para-social interaction and parasocial relationships have separated, holding their own meanings. According to a study done by Sarah F. Rosaen, Tilo Hartmann, and Jayson L. Dibble,

“Parasocial interaction refers to a faux sense of mutual awareness that can only occur during viewing. In contrast, parasocial relationship refers to a longer-term association that may begin to develop during viewing, but also extends beyond the media exposure situation.”

It should also be noted that a parasocial relationship can grow without the other being acknowledged, for example, one where a fictional character is involved.

the way i would die for her. pic.twitter.com/IyOhPOFEqP

— — ᴋɪᴀʀᴀ 🌿 (@wlfabby) August 12, 2020

Unless a person thanks their fans or the character breaks the fourth wall, there is no acknowledgment of the viewer.

When everything changed

As time has passed and technology has grown, para-social relationships have flourished, thriving from these changes.

This is primarily since media has allowed an even closer bond to happen because there is so much content to gather about a performer or an individual.

Instagram Live Stories, Twitter, Twitch Streams, Facebook streams… It is so easy to keep track of anyone. Hell, the internet has allowed us to develop para-social relationships with anyone we see on the internet, not just mainstream stars anymore.

Even still, celebrities or media can offer a sort of comfort in being a constant. Unless an artist quits music or the series franchise flops, there is a consistency that exists in this para-social relationship.

https://twitter.com/V4MPRS/status/1292687799125188608?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1292687799125188608%7Ctwgr%5E&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fkulturehub.com%2Fwp%2Fwp-admin%2Fpost.php%3Fpost%3D143976action%3Dedit

Stars are usually portrayed in very intentional lights, areas, and do not stray from that visual. It is easy for a star to seem perfect, of course—everything an audience member sees is purposeful.

That’s why we meme Youtubers who show up in an apology video, no makeup on, crying to the camera in sweats about how terrible the thing they got caught doing was.

We have kind of learned that, with a lot of these things, there is an algorithm, a function to it.

Correlation ≠ Causation

Of course, that only raises the question as to why we indulge in this. There are several theories that have tried to explain why we tend to do this, to develop these relationships.

Some studies say that this is due to the way humans process attachment. According to the book, The brain has a mind of its own: Insights from a practicing neurologist, and a study done by Gayle Stever, It is difficult for our brains to make the distinction between who we know IRL and who we know via social media.

Plus,  there’s also the fact that we are biologically predisposed to bond with people who are familiar, can help answer why we do it. We can’t help it.

Loneliness and adolescence can also exacerbate this type of relationship as well. According to the Social Cognitive Theory, our environment, behavior, and our own personality can also play into how susceptible we are to creating these relations.

https://twitter.com/butdaddyiIuvhim/status/1295566574800207873?s=20

However, don’t immediately tear that Harry Styles poster off your wall just yet. It should go without saying that parasocial relationships do not immediately mean infatuation.

Infatuation is a much darker side of a para-social relationship. It’s an extremity. While these relations are still a topic of hot debate in psychology, these phenomena are fairly common in adolescents.

The caveat is that this dependency can leave us at moments crushed when say, our beloved celebrity turns out to not be that smart, or quits music, or fails us in our expectations of them in some way.

In other words, we are in love with the idea of someone, rather than their actual person.

“I’ve never met him but he’s the love of my life.”

This isn’t our fault—we don’t expect celebrities to really fail our expectations because we have learned what to expect through media.

Except, like all things, they’re human, and sometimes that reality can drop on you like the realization that you didn’t submit your final paper.

https://twitter.com/jalboyhamirah/status/1293614549116035072

Also, that realization? It can be nasty. I mean, apply this type of relationship or attachment to well-known shows or games.

That’s why when games like Last of Us 2 don’t meet the expectation that we as an audience have come to meet (thanks to our head insisting it’ll be exactly like the first game), people can go off the deep end.

So the solution? Don’t sever the connection, but do take breaks in your disbelief.

Ground yourself in reality, whether that means pulling off of social media, interacting with friends, or straight up reminding yourself that this a para-social relationship.

You can still have your cake and eat it too, just so long as you remember it’s not your wife you’re eating.

Let’s get into something different, witchcraft TikToks.

Suspect yes but more and more Americans, especially millennials are secular or identify with no religion. This is according to a National Pew Research Center poll dating back to 2015.

Perhaps, this doesn’t come as a surprise to you. This change from the past offers growth and offers great benefits, at least politically.

If no one religion is in power [in the future], it can prevent biases towards one or the other. However, there’s another side to this that perhaps you weren’t expecting.

Still, people are not as scared as before, and other religions that were once unfortunately considered taboo are now resurfacing. And, of course, they’ve found a home in a peculiar place: Tik Tok.

So what’s really good with witchcraft TikToks?

me 10 years ago: lol witchcraft is so fake thats so stupid why would people do that

me now, permanently on witchtok: 👀

— rey ♡ (@stingrey77) July 27, 2020

Yup, you can find all sorts of posts on the platform talking about spiritualities, such as Wicca and Paganism, in a subcommunity called Witchtok.

It’s quite interesting, as there are people who discuss their own experiences, talking to deities and even performing hexes.

It dismantles the ideas of taboo and offers openness, allowing people to really learn about things that perhaps they’ve been too scared to ask about. Yet, as with everything, this also had its’ own effects.

“Minions, I’m going to steal…the moon”

It was on Tiktok where a bunch of ‘baby witches’, or beginner witches decided to…hex the moon. A hex is a spell, but with malicious intent.

Hexes are not always recommended for beginner witches or warlocks, because it’s considered hard to do. If you’re super confused, you’re not alone. This is sort of “an outrage” in the community, and for other spiritualities as well.

BASICALLY —

in the past few days, a group of FRESH baby witches* decided to band together, and hex the fae. and then the moon. and they did!

(theyre now planning to hex the sun. too)

*inexperienced witches who should only be researching and doing protection work

— jupi ✿ moved 🙂 (@WINGEDALATUS) July 19, 2020

The moon is a pretty important figure, in general. Controls the tides? Yes.  A powerful symbol, a representative in different mythologies and spiritualities? Yes.

Do some witches charge their crystals using full moon cycles? Yes. Do people use moon water for spells and whatnot? Also, yes.

If all of this sounds foreign, the point is this: the moon is very important for a witch. It helps with a lot of things and is a very, very powerful figure.

It’s not just for Pagans though; astrologers depend on the moon cycle to dictate what is happening in their field. The moon in Greek Mythology represents the Goddess Selene. The point being: people use the moon for a lot of things.

Hence, the outrage that ensued when several young witches decide to hex the moon. The baby witches apparently wanted to prove themselves, although, of what, I can’t tell you.

You did all this…For what?

Regardless of how you may feel about one particular religion, it’s not inherently a bad thing for others to be learning. The problem comes from the romanticizing of a spirituality.

There is an overwhelming amount of misinformation present, that can make it hard to navigate, especially for someone who is curious. It shouldn’t be something to flaunt.

Whether or not you believe in Wicca is not the point. Rather the point is that some of these spiritualities should seriously not be messed with for no reason.

Attempting to hex a Goddess (?!), I imagine, cannot go well for the people involved. If you actually believe in something like Paganism or Wicca, you should respect that, and not treat it like a toy.

the bitches trying to hex the moon in question: pic.twitter.com/StPxLJCJsG

— AZNBBGRL (@theyteas) July 20, 2020

With videos being crucial for courtrooms, media and our own safety, I find that there’s an overabundance of them. Obviously, this isn’t always a bad thing.

Look at cases like George Floyd, Philando Castile, Alton Sterling… It’s not surprising. We need videos. Even in others, videos have been crucial to clearing names and finding connected events and problems.

Yet, videos can’t ever be reactive. Videos can’t jump in and save the day during a mugging or a sexual assault or any other injustice.

When you see people with videos ever-increasing, it’s important to remember there are other ways to intervene in the situation before it’s too late. Most importantly, avoid being a bystander with a camera.

The Market for Gore and Fights

But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Videos aren’t just used for self-defense or help. With stuff like LiveLeak and WorldStarHipHop, it’s impossible to pretend that there isn’t a thriving market for videos just like these. WorldStar thrives off of fight vids. LiveLeak tries not to disallow anything and definitely has some heavy stuff up there.

LiveLeak argues that they are somewhat different; they try to hold an approach in which they hold no bias towards any videos, instead of creating an open forum for people to post whatever they want. Which is fair but still helps feed this drive to dehumanize victims and create a market of entertainment from suffering.

Still though, videotaping has a place in intervention. Videos have helped solidify innocence in some cases and helped to identify people who committed crimes. Intervention has saved countless people from worse fates. One recent example would be Iyanna Dior, a Black trans woman who was assaulted by a group of men in June.

Luckily, Dior was able to escape out of the gas station, into the convenience store, thanks to her quick wit and bystanders that stood in between her and the attackers. Still though, as great as this is, it’s hard not to think about all the other cases where things didn’t go this way.

The Bystander Effect

Most likely, you’ve heard about the bystander effect before. It’s a phenomenon that happens when a group of people witness something happen.

As it goes, no one does anything, because every other individual thinks that another person will get help or intervene. The more people there are, the less likely one person is to step up and intervene.

A fake origin story…Sort of.

In and of itself, the Bystander effect isn’t even entirely what you may think of it. There’s the infamous tragic tale: in 1964, New York City, Kitty Genovese was murdered in front of around 38 witnesses and no one did anything about it.

Unfortunately, the gruesome parts are still true; Genovese was still murdered. Yet, there weren’t thirty-eight witnesses there and the witnesses that did hear the crime did not hear the whole thing. Indeed, research appears to show that the bystander effect may not be entirely true either.

However, this could be argued due to the amount of work that has gone into prevention programs and opening a dialogue that has created this shift in consciousness.

Regardless of what you believe with the bystander effect, the documentation (or creation of it, depending on where you sway) has led to more focus on intervention programs in colleges, like Green Dot UCF or Step UP! By University of Arizona. Even typical programs to prepare one to work have zeroed in on this, all in the attempt to shut down the Bystander Effect.

And it’s not in vain.  Nearly one in five women have been raped in their lives, and 1 in 71 men. One in two transgender people are assaulted or sexually abused in their times. Most of my own friends try to avoid walking anywhere alone at night. So regardless if the origin is a fluke or not, it might not even matter. Just remember not to keep still.

You know what had a resurgence in popularity recently? The United States Postal Service. With COVID-19 managing to shut down life across the country, there was still one normal thing that people could do. And that’s buy things online.

Unless, ya know, maybe you’re old fashioned and send letters instead. Either way, with limited ways to communicate and shop, USPS became a life-saver during some people’s quarantine.

To be fair, you can argue that the US post office, could never close down. And to that, I say… not exactly.

Money Problems

So, USPS has not exactly been doing well. Let me clarify that: in the first quarter of the year, USPS cited a 748-million-dollar loss. 2019? An 8.8-billion-dollar loss. There’s an array of factors that play a role here.

For example: the COVID-19 Pandemic. Many of Postal Service workers have been getting sick with the pandemic. It’s up to USPS to supply its’ workers with masks, gloves, and all necessary safety equipment. And it’s costing them.

This isn’t to say the Postal Service doesn’t want to fund safety equipment and PPE for its’ employees. Albeit, all of these costs have to come out of existing funds, that frankly, the Postal Service does not have.

Also, the post office hasn’t been just sitting around twiddling their thumbs. In the past, cuts have been made in staffing and other areas in order to make ends meet.

Still, the post office has not been doing well financially for years now. I mean, not a lot of people send letters anymore, and even bills can be paid online. Truly, the difference is that this year’s pandemic has exacerbated the issue.

However, with the current situation, it’s been overwhelming. According to the Postal Regulatory Commission website, much of the fixing to do is left up to Congress.

Lowkey holding it together on their own

This might be why things got spicey when the Trump administration refused to pass a stimulus package back in April that included a 25-billion-dollar package to save the Post Office.

This was immediately cut within the Senate. Instead, Congress responded with a compromise of “a $10 billion line of credit.” This is not going to be enough to sustain the Postal Service, according to a letter written by six House Democrats and Rep. Carolyn Maloney.

The letter also states, “As the coronavirus continues to worsen, the Postal Service projects a possible 50% decline in mail volume between now and the end of the current fiscal year.”

https://twitter.com/_christinelam/status/1285376833177792512?s=11

Just a bit sus

In an upcoming election that will primarily depend on mail-in ballots, the Postal Service is vital. According to the National Pew Research Center, “more than 46 million voters cast ballots in some manner other than at a traditional polling place on Election Day in 2012.”

During a pandemic such as this one in 2020, it would be surprising for those numbers not to increase.

Prior to this, many small businesses and online retailers on websites such as Etsy, Depop, Ebay, Shopify, and so many more utilized USPS. The Postal Service is still one of the most accessible means to transport goods in the United States.

if usps goes down we’ll have no mail. zero. no letters ever again. no more birthday cards. every single small business will die. the economy would crash. hundreds of thousands would lose jobs, many whom are veterans that the right pretends to care about. the mere IDEA is insanity

— elle (@artangeIII) July 18, 2020

This is especially true in rural areas of the United States, that are quite away from cities and harder to access. It’s also one of the most affordable options to send mail.

Losing the Postal Service hurts everyone; it is ever crucial, especially during a time like this. Luckily, there is action to take.

Petitions are still floating around, and there is always the option to contact your Senator. While these may seem small, they snowball quickly.

Accessible mailing is something that has always been available, and it shouldn’t come at the cost of Postal Service workers’ health. United, we stand…right?

Jeffrey Epstein…didn’t ki-

Okay, no. Not what we are here to talk about. But what we are here to talk about is definitely how this Epstein black book has made people feel.

Once that black book with flight logs of famous celebrities leaked, it definitely changed the way people viewed their faves. And right now, with Kanye’s temporary run for president, people started to remember:

Yeah, celebrities aren’t perfect.

And so, people took to Twitter to analyze the verified.

The Fallout

Of course, this had its’ own repercussions. Chrissy Teigen, a famous model and cookbook author, would come under fire for…quite a lot. One such example would be on Twitter, where people began digging up old posts of hers to tie her to Epstein. From there, users accused Teigen of a litany of things, that are not particularly nice, after digging up some…interesting tweets.

So I was reading some people say things were taken out of context.
So in what context should these be taken in? How is a little boy eye candy? Why go Anthony Weiner on a kid? What did you actually mean? How are we supposed to read this?
I'm confused pic.twitter.com/EjvRvUPuyx

— Jacqueline (@Jacquel84988479) July 21, 2020

Admittedly, some of these tweets do seem questionable. However, it is easier for tweets to look suspicious when they’re together versus the individual times they were made.

Tweets in and of themselves, don’t always carry a lot of context. That’s kinda due to the 250 character limit.

And it’s hard to say, whether or not these were tweets are in poor taste or something more insidious.

Its her words nobody else's. Your defending this…. pic.twitter.com/C7gJkLRpt8

— Bill. (@Bill49964101) July 21, 2020

I’m not here to comment on the right or wrong about this content, but mainly the intense reaction that followed without warning.

Obviously, the accusations aren’t minor; accusing someone of pedophilia is a very serious thing. Twitter was overwhelming.

So much so, that Teigen put her entire account on private. She deleted over 60,000 tweets, too. This only spurred the trolls that laughed at watching a massive account go private and added to people’s suspicions.

Chrissy Teigen putting her account on private whilst having 13 million followers pic.twitter.com/eMrMNWU6wh

— Economy still tight (@UnoThemOnes) July 16, 2020

Yet, things didn’t stop. Then, on top of these accusations on Twitter, there were accusations about her own body.

This was as people debated whether or not Chrissy Teigen was telling the truth about, yes, you guessed it, her breast implants removal.

From there, it eventually led to her taking pictures of her scars from breast implant removals. This proved to people that hey, yeah, she wasn’t lying about her body after all.

But then…

But then, the pictures led to more criticism on her Twitter page, talking about how inappropriate it was for her to show that on her story, in between videos of her children. It fed the conspiracy theorists another piece of a puzzle, that they were trying to put together.

Needless to say, it was a lot. Each action garnered another unhappy reaction, one after the other. “

I have block chained over one million people, ONE MILLION people today and I am still flooded with sick psychopaths. So please, spare me the ‘just ignore them, they’re just trolls,’” Teigen tweeted.

@chrissyteigen I get that you’re tired of being accused of this but why don’t you show some action? Put your money where your mouth is. Use your platform & money to raise awareness about child trafficking and to help find these missing kids. All this energy spent deleting shit.

— snackputa (@snackputa) July 21, 2020

It’s all about the method.

The sort of fire Teigen received is flabbergasting. It’s a lot for one person. And of course, we can argue that she is a celebrity, which therefore means she somehow invited it…but truthfully, this flaming ignores the real issue.

Bullying or attacking someone on the internet like that may seem like the right course of action to receive a response from your subject.

It also tricks you into thinking it’s doing something about the issue because they’ve somehow acknowledged you. But it comes at a heavy cost because millions of comments can drive that one person over the edge, over allegations that are not rock solid.

It doesn’t always garner accountability and also prevents real dialogue from occurring.

Chrissy Teigen is but one celeb in these rumors and allegations. They are not well-established nor concrete. But you know what is well-established? A lot of the dirt on Trump.

And there is more information out there about sex traffickers that should be discussed. Focusing on Chrissy Teigen solely diminishes the conversation to a very specific blip. One without much to go on except old weird social media posts.

Ah, TikTok. Depending on your age, you probably either love it, prefer vine, or don’t know about it. But obviously, this isn’t always true.

For example, TikTok has somehow managed to garner the attention of the Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Trump. In a statement earlier this month, the Trump administration stated that the U.S. is considering banning the app altogether.

TikTok is a huge platform, rife with creators. So naturally, this announcement is worrisome, as it is estimated that about 20 million Americans use the app monthly.

The reasoning behind it’s banning is due to ‘national security concerns’. This wouldn’t be the first time TikTok receives attention for the way it collects data, either. Companies like Amazon and Wells Fargo even told their employees to delete the app entirely (although Amazon later stated that the email containing the announcement was sent by mistake).

People are now speaking out, talking about the dangers of the app. India also banned the app, along with several others, in which they said that these apps pose a “threat to sovereignty and integrity.”

Dear parents,

Tik Tok is a threat to our nation’s national security and the private information of your child.

Delete the app off your child’s phone!

— David Nicholas (@DavidANicholas) July 9, 2020

What’s wrong with TikTok?

So what exactly is TikTok doing that is so dangerous? Well, it’s not a secret that TikTok does collect your data. It stores both the data from when you use TikTok, but also other things, too.

For example, your location data, phone number, and what device you’re using. With this information, it can often be sold in places that China has access to. Yet, TikTok is not the only app that does this. In fact, there are other apps that do much of the same thing.

There are other concerns, though. Take the concern of TikTok handing over information to Chinese authorities if prompted to. Although TikTok has made a statement that this is a line they are not willing to cross, the question of this happening still remains.

Of course, not everyone reacts the same way. Many people on the internet seemed unfazed by TikTok’s privacy breaches and found this discussion to be silly.

why would i use TIKTOK when they STEAL MY DATA to send back to CHINA when I can be a GOOD AMERICAN and use FACEBOOK who steals my INFO and SELLS IT TO CHINA like a TRUE PATRIOT

— Joey⚡️ (@joeygllghr) July 10, 2020

Data selling, anyone?

The way TikTok collects data may not be the only reason for a possible ban. A lot of people question if TikTok is even dangerous in the first place. Or at least, is TikTok more dangerous than other apps, such as Facebook? Facebook is not a stranger to issues with data privacy in the past.   The differences appear:

A.) TikTok has a far larger younger audience.

And B.) The United State’s relations with China.

"TikTok is stealing our data," they write on a site that is stealing their data.

— Art M. (@gamerfrommars) July 14, 2020

The ongoing tensions between China and the United States may be playing a role in this decision.

TikTok played up its U.S. ties and said it doesn’t feed user data to China after Secretary of State Mike Pompeo threatens to ban of the app https://t.co/mo6Qc6ruPM

— Bloomberg (@business) July 7, 2020

Or just international political play?

This may not necessarily involve politics with the United States passing the Hong Kong Autonomy Act. Instead, it involves the politics of cybersecurity historically.

In the past, there have been numerous breaches of national security, such as the Equifax hack of 2017. These breaches in the past were considered to originate from China.

Sorry, you’ve been banned.

In addition, TikTok has suffered censorship scandals in the past. One such example occurred in 2019, where TikTok had policies that apparently hid content from people who are not considered “traditionally” beautiful.

In other words, anyone who does not fit into a narrow set of criteria would be shadowbanned on the app (with these policies in place). TikTok’s response states that these policies were never enacted in the United States. However, even disregarding that, there is still more censorship occurring.

According to the Guardian,  TikTok censors users on topics like China‘s socialist system or history of local countries. This is if TikTok finds that the content is ‘twisting the history’ or spreading criticism. The severity of the ban depends on what rule TikTok considers broken.

So is TikTok over?

In short, it’s hard to say whether or not a TikTok ban would be justifiable, or actually happening.

Of course, cybersecurity is vastly important to our society. However, this threat of a TikTok ban is not so altruistic; it’s not just for the American people.

A ban would devastate hundreds of thousands of creators on the app, and even more who just enjoy content alone.

No, this is also due to the tense foreign relations at the moment. Unfortunately, what will happen with this tension still remains to be seen.

In the meanwhile, though, enjoy your TikTok and maybe ours too. There’s still some time.