Everybody is a fan of something — from authors to singers to quarterbacks — but for some, the fandom becomes a second life. These fans are often considered “stans,” and as people have been forced further online after the COVID-19 pandemic, stan culture has grown exponentially.
“Fans have this thing that is a part of them, but stans understand the world through the lens of the thing they stan. The difference is being able to step out as opposed to being engrossed in,” Corrine Jones, a media studies doctoral student from the University of Iowa, said.
Jones’ studies center on music fandoms, analyzing how fans of musicians discover social issues and the nuances of identity through their favorite artists. In her work, she has found a correlation between the COVID-19 pandemic and an increase in online stan culture.
“People were looking for community, spaces to discuss things they were interested in. Online digital life was all we had access to, so [fandoms] really took off in those pandemic years,” Jones said.
The word “stan” was popularized by Eminem in 2000. In his song “Stan,” Eminem tells the story of a fan who takes things too far when his idol doesn’t answer his fan mail.
Believed to be a cross between the word “fan” and “stalker,” the word has been a part of popular culture for over 20 years. In the era of online fandoms, the word has gone from an insult to a symbol of status in a fanbase.
“When you’re idolizing a celebrity, you lose track of the fact they’re just people,” Jones said. “They’re always going to make mistakes or do something wrong. People aren’t perfect. Even if you stan the most politically minded, smartest person in the world, there’s still the chance they’ll do something not great.”
With the lack of human connection brought on by the pandemic, many people in fandoms who call themselves stans developed increasingly parasocial relationships with the celebrities they idolized. The people most likely to be in online fandoms are young people who don’t yet have a fully developed sense of identity, making a parasocial relationship even more dangerous.
“A lot of stans are in transitional periods of their lives or figuring out their identities, they’re looking for something to get lost in,” Jones said. “When Sabrina Carpenter tweets about her relationship every day and stans reply and she responds, there’s an implied relationship there to the stans.”
The internet has provided unprecedented access to the lives of celebrities. Pop stars film TikTok behind-the-scenes videos, actors show off their exercise routines, and musicians host live streams as they experiment with songs.
As fans have been pushed further online, they’ve been more and more exposed to this kind of content, making them feel closer to celebrities.
While the parasocial consequences of stan culture can be detrimental to the mental health of stans, Jones clarifies there is plenty of value in fandom.
“Taylor Swift is a great representation of how these younger fans are introduced to social issues,” Jones said. “She reaches people who are hearing about feminism for the first time.”
Taylor Swift may not be the most politically radical voice, but Jones is optimistic that incorporating any sort of social messaging in music is still impactful.
“Celebrity feminism is its own microcosm. It is so divorced from the political base of feminism. This doesn’t mean we completely discount it, though,” Jones explained. “They get attention, and in the attention economy, that is everything.”
One of the most popular singers on the planet runs a monthly book club that has continually grown since it started in 2023. Dua Lipa’s Service95 book club shows how celebrity influence doesn’t always mean selling merchandise.
The books in Lipa’s club are often works of literary merit and give diverse authors a platform to discuss their work in interviews with the singer. Not every celebrity can run a book club, but Service95 is one example of how influencers can make a difference and promote thoughtfulness within their fandoms.
“It’s not like Taylor Swift says the word ‘feminist’ and suddenly we’re all feminists,” Jones said. “It can inspire people to start reading feminist literature and look into the heart of the issue. Celebrities being active in politics is an incredibly important part of our politics.”
Jones is unsure of whether that amount of influence is positive or negative, but she is sure it’s there. Her studies into what that influence produces come from personal experience.
“I grew up in Iowa, and no one really talked about social issues. Now, the girls from my hometown know what feminism is. Even if they aren’t burning their bras, they have a base-level understanding that will become deeper,” Jones said.
Being a fan of something has an impact one’s personal life, too. The basis of being part of a fandom is that people enjoy being around people with similar interests. While stan culture can be toxic, fan culture is often healthy.
“When you’re a fan of something, you appreciate but don’t go past an extent,” Muchael Gura, the UI’s Anime and Manga Club president, said. “You get posters of your favorite games or shows in your room, you decorate your office with an artist you like, stuff like that.”
Expressing fandom is a large part of the appeal. Wearing clothes or decorating a room in fan memorabilia is a way to connect with other fans.
Gura said Iowa’s Anime and Manga Club is a casual collection of fans. Every Friday at 6 p.m. in the Iowa Theater within the serpentine halls of the IMU, anime enjoyers meet up to group-watch a voted-upon show.
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In the same way the online side of fandoms can become obsessive, fan expression can, too.
“If your entire room is covered in pictures of Taylor Swift, that is probably crossing a line,” Gura said. “But I don’t exactly know where that line is. It’s different for different people. It’s important to think about whether or not what you’re doing is counterproductive to the rest of your life.”
Being a fan of something alongside other people can be a way to prevent the downsides of stan culture. There’s a sense of accountability when you enjoy a fandom with other people.
If certain behaviors are isolated, fans might consider their bad habits normal. Enjoying a favorite show or musician with other people can provide a healthier example of what fandom looks like.
“Our group is really healthy about that stuff. We’re fans of anime or manga. We just like the medium. So, when we vote on what show we want to watch next, pretty much everyone is onboard,” Gura said.
Gura’s Anime and Manga Club is just one of dozens of fan clubs around campus that offers a community of people with similar interests.
The UI’s K-pop dance group, Hallyu, is another organization on campus that promotes healthy fan behavior. With about five groups of dancers, plus an audition-based group, they hold multiple performances throughout each semester.
While this group does give other fans of K-pop a space to enjoy the culture, Mia Tang, a member of the group, acknowledged there can be different sides to stan culture.
“If you have the right people around you, it doesn’t really matter if they’re a stan. But the word ‘stan’ also does come with some stereotypes,” Tang said.
The word itself is mostly used on social media, the most common sighting being on X, formerly known as Twitter. Tang described how the app has many well-known stan groups, K-pop being one of the bigger ones.
As she believes being a stan is not always a bad thing, there are many times when using the app that she noticed how the groups can create unhealthy spaces on X. A platform once meant to allow users to share their favorite songs or moments has become one full of arguments over artists.
Talia Hill, the face behind the UIowaSwifties Instagram page, has had many issues with stan groups across social media.
“I was called a homophobic slur because I said I didn’t like a Camilla Cabello song. And it was from someone who has a faceless account online,” Hill said.
The ability to hide behind a screen makes it easier for stans to attack others for having different opinions than themselves. This creates toxic environments that steer others away from big fan groups.
“Stan culture has made it so that it’s impossible for people to criticize an artist,” Hill said.
Despite the nuanced impacts and reasons for fan culture to be growing increasingly extreme online, fan culture around Iowa City remains strong. Clubs around campus and active online fans are promoting healthy expression no matter what they’re fans of.
Gura has been watching anime since he was a kid. Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure and Naruto are his two favorites, and he’s loved being able to continue the tradition of watching them with the Anime and Manga Club.
“Those shows kind of grew up with me,” Gura said. “Now I have good memories with these shows, watching them with friends.”