When it comes to celebrities, fans’ grasp of social conventions seems to slip away, as oftentimes by claiming that they understand their idols, they dehumanize them. We tend to think of respected figures or famous celebrities as being so far removed from real life that it’s impossible to connect with them in a typical person-to-person friendship. Idolizing celebrities is typical for adolescents — after all, just about everyone has a high-profile person they look up to or support. But with the rise of the internet and social media, these seemingly harmless relationships can turn into more nefarious ones.

The obsessions caused by the idolization of celebrities sometimes develops into full-fledged stalking. In South Korea, the stalking of K-pop celebrities is so common that a term was coined in Korean to describe them: sasaeng fans. Sasaeng fans predominantly consist of teens or young adults encouraged by a heightened exposure to the media. One example of a sasaeng fan is Josh1994, a German fan documented to have harassed and stalked various members of the K-pop group Twice. After publicizing information about her and eventually being rejected, he began to send her death threats. Fortunately, this incident didn’t lead to further violence, but in some cases, it does. In one case, the look-alike of Rosé, a singer from the K-pop group BLACKPINK, was stabbed at an airport by a sasaeng fan for not returning their sentiments.

By supporting the tightly-regulated image of celebrities, the public essentially reinforces the false persona that controlling labels have placed on celebrities. In K-pop industries, celebrities are often subjected to unrealistic expectations pertaining to weight and body shape. Moonbin of the K-pop group ASTRO died allegedly by suicide on April 19, 2023. It is presumed that the industry’s expectations of him combined with the demands of the “Korea wave” were the major factors that led to his death. By continuing to idolize these celebrities, fans reinforce industry standards that oppress them.

Constant exposure to celebrities makes comparing them to yourself inevitable. The public often fantasizes and gravitates toward celebrities who seem more humble and funny, like a “regular” person, without realizing that the normalcy of these people is completely fabricated, which creates unachievable standards. The rise of social media has heightened this phenomenon by allowing internet users to be more exposed to celebrities, thus causing teens to have lower self-confidence when they inevitably compare themselves to seemingly perfect influencers.

Social media additionally offers a larger platform for celebrities to live more public lives, making them greater topics of obsession. Overexposure to one’s day-to-day experiences are available to anyone, ultimately making it easier to create parasocial connections, which are essentially one-sided relationships. For example, by openly sharing vlogs online or having a very exposed media presence, fans feel more connected and involved in their idols’ lives. Seemingly minor actions can also contribute to this curiosity — the use of second-person voice in vlogs, insider information on the “backstage” events, and even photos taken by celebrities themselves are all personal and inviting. This blurs the line between being a spectator or a friend, resulting in social media users feeling rejected and lonely upon realizing they don’t know their icons as well as they thought.

Teenagers in general are disproportionately affected by these emotional repercussions of social media. According to a 2018 study by Pew Research, 97 percent of teens have a presence on some social media platform and 45 percent of teens are online constantly, thereby boosting their exposure to celebrities. Because of their large presence on social media, teens more than any other age group are affected by parasocial relationships with celebrities, especially since adolescents in general are always searching for role models. This highlights the larger problem of exposure to social media in children and teens: The importance of online safety is often not thoroughly communicated. The lack of education dedicated towards online safety leaves teens especially vulnerable to the many emotional consequences social media widely causes. Realizing the dangers that can result from carefree exploration of social media is a necessary step in protecting oneself from those consequences, which is why it is imperative to recognize the emotional and physical dangers social media present. To protect ourselves from the adverse affects of social media, we must recognize and caution ourselves against the peril that festers even from behind the screen.