The Shortcomings of Stan Twitter

Twitter is a well-known social media platform that has attracted millions of users worldwide. The simplicity and fast-paced nature of the app have contributed to its popularity. Twitter is known to quickly spread awareness and news on a variety of topics with quick updates. However, one peculiar thing that has come from Twitter is Stan Twitter, “stan” meaning “an extremely or excessively enthusiastic and devoted fan.”

With entertainment and pop culture at their peak, Twitter has gathered many of these stans associated with certain celebrities or franchises. For example, the k-pop music genre has gathered many stans on Twitter for various bands–especially BTS. But while Stan Twitter has its positives, creating a safe space for users to engage in conversation about their favorites, it also has its shortcomings–one of them being Stan Twitter’s defensiveness and almost concerning protectiveness over their favorites. 

As briefly mentioned in one of my previous articles, the k-pop genre isn’t new to having incredibly bizarre scandals. But, what is even more bizarre is how eager stans on Twitter get over their favorites. One of the biggest scandals occurred a few years ago, the “Burning Sun” scandal, in which Seungri, lead singer of the famous k-pop group BIGBANG, was involved in multiple allegations involving the distribution of drug use and even organizing prostitution in his own club. 

This scandal came as a shock for me and for many, as BIGBANG was one of my favorite k-pop bands to listen to. As the nature of this scandal continued to grow worse, my once-pristine view of the k-pop industry significantly decreased. Interestingly enough, though, is that many stans on Twitter continue to support Seungri despite him being indicted for the crimes that he committed. Users trend hashtags such as “#StopWitchHuntingSeungri” and portray Seungri as an angel despite the atrocious crimes that he was involved in. They refuse to listen to the other side of the story, how the Burning Sun scandal has been going on since 2016 and how the investigation continues to point toward Seungri’s involvement. Instead, they hold onto the pristine image they have of their idol. 

This is essentially what Stan Twitter encompasses–fans who glorify their idols and see them as unable to do any wrong, despite the evidence that continues to portray them as the complete opposite. Unfortunately, this doesn’t only occur in k-pop Stan Twitter, but in many other celebrity-oriented Stan Twitter accounts as well. Just recently, one of Taylor Swift’s tweets sent her stans into a frenzy, even sending death threats to the main actress despite her likely lack of involvement in the script and her own lines. This only proves one of the many shortcomings of Stan Twitter that can lead to harm: how desperate and eager they are to defend their favorites. 

• celebrity
• entertainment
• k-pop
• twitter