Actors and musicians don’t owe us a thing. Interaction is a privilege. Intimacy is not an option. Our rights do not go beyond product we’ve purchased, and we shouldn’t forget that.
As someone who has, on a minuscule scale, had fans, and as a Kiwi who grew up in a country where people are mostly too shy or self-deprecating to approach a famous face, I find global fandoms baffling and terrifying. As a fan, I’ve been the type to focus on the work, and I’m here to tell you that your expectations are probably insane, if you feel in any way proprietary about an artist you admire. Their life does not automatically become something you get a stake in, just because you patronise their product range. Their product range might include film, television, music, merchandise, and official public performances/appearances, but that doesn’t extend into the personal, private, or intimate.
It feels to me as though the fact of someone having celebrity status causes others to view them as insensitive machines, placed in this world to provide content, share their most personal challenges, and accept bullying as their lot. It’s abusive, hypocritical, and arrogant. What you do to them can cause harm. What you say about them can affect their feelings, mental state, and self-image, and a lack of consideration here isn’t just rude. It can be seriously damaging. Voice an opinion about their work and this is also the case, but that is really all they are selling. It’s the product you are buying. Express yourself about anything that isn’t in the product range, or in the public interest*, and you’re stepping over a line it’s important you don’t cross. Actors have become tragic martyrs to the altar of fandom, all because fans feel entitled to condemn or bully them.
The more extreme end of the scale is the stalker/sasaeng fan (사생팬). Such fans have gone so far as to assassinate the celebrity, or someone else in order to get the attention of the celebrity, but that’s not common. I’m not talking about such here though. I’m referring to the fan that bullies, partakes in pile-ons, or expects more than they have a right to in a less extreme way. This might be considered moderate, but it’s still dangerous and harmful.
The idea that if you see a famous person in the street it’s okay to approach them, either singly or in a group, is pretty worrying to me, and I doubt Kiwi celebrities finding fame outside of Aotearoa/NZ really know what they’re getting into when they go global. It’s so much less likely to happen here. I have to wonder if fans who feel entitled to get face to face with their idols outside of planned events, such as fan meets or shows, give a thought to what that experience might be like for their target, or whether their invasive approach might rather distress the object of their admiration. I doubt it. If they really had the slightest care or consideration for the star, they’d maintain a distance sufficient to avoid overreaching their welcome, as most Kiwis do.
As a Community Manager I had a very rarified, low-key form of minor celebrity, which attracted many types of fan attention, though only online, and on a tiny scale, from the most gentle wish to interact in some way, right through to horrendous bullying of various kinds. I’ve had people try to manipulate me with threats of suicide, violence, legal action, criminal investigation, etc, and, a couple of times, those of a sexual nature. I’ve even had wikis set up, spreading disinformation about me and my work. All of this, while suffering from pretty crippling PTSD, mind you. I come down firmly on the side of the human beings behind these celebrated brands, and so should anybody with the slightest regard for them.
And their names and selves, as they pertain to their work, are brands. Social media has blurred the lines between the human and the brand, but any output from their public channels, while very possibly coming from the brand, may rather be a personal post. Think about how you use your social media channels, and offer the famous the kind of courtesy you want from perfect strangers on the internet. It’s both the most and the least you should do.
* “The Public Interest” is more about civil, criminal, and safety or security matters, than about what members of the public want to know or involve themselves in, so don’t @ me about that.