As someone who grew up in the age of the internet, when it was still essentially viewed as a shiny new toy, being “chronically online” seems to be a personality trait. Similar to many other people my age, my vernacular tends to consist of internet slang, my conversations tend to revolve around pop culture, and my time seems to be spent “doom scrolling”. In this way, I am overly involved in the lives of others. Even though it makes no difference to the outcome of my life, I know parts of Olivia Rodrigo’s dating life, I know that Princess Diana participated in infidelity, and I even know that Priyanka Chopra may have had an affair with another Bollywood star. Even though I might follow certain celebrities and like to know about their lives, I draw a very thin line about my level of support for them. This thin line revolves around basic human decency.
Even though Taylor Swift can argue that her past behaviors may not be questionable and her silence was not indicative of her feelings towards a certain matter, her actions reveal her true colors. Even after seeing Israel’s reaction to the events of October 7th, she still allowed her Eras Tour to be screened in Israel, effectively continuing to profit off of the country. While some can argue that as an artist she is simply doing her job, other artists have revealed their ability to share their regret over their actions, such as Mitski. Taylor Swift’s inability to correct her behavior is where the issue lies. She shows no remorse for her previous reactions, but her fans refuse to consider this, being too preoccupied with things such as her relationship with Travis Kelce. This is where the issue of parasocialism factors in. Even though Swift shows no care for larger social issues, refusing to speak up about them and continuing to profit, there is continually someone in defense of her. Her defenders almost speak as if they know her and her own personal values, yet they seem to forget that she is still a public figure. As a public figure, we will never truly know her or her actual personality, all we can know is the way she presents herself as a public figure.
Now, this is not just an issue with Taylor Swift, but with many public figures. As someone who listens to K-Pop, I first-hand see how parasocial relationships can be detrimental. Even after the Burning Sun scandal occurred and multiple pieces of evidence were revealed in a court setting, some fans still refuse to believe that Seungri, a former boy group idol, was involved with one of the biggest scandals in the Korean media. This is also not simply some dating scandal, but something more sinister involving drug trafficking, police corruption, and sexual assault. This type of behavior is exactly why I limit my involvement with the groups I listen to.
There is always an argument about whether or not artists should be involved in the state of global affairs. However, celebrities are in a position of power and influence in the public eye. For some reason, members of society have decided to place them in a higher position. The only reason they make any money is because the non-celebrities decide to buy what they sell, meaning that as their main sources of income, celebrities have a sense of obligation to the public.