The effect of the media on our lives is undeniable.
The media we consume shapes our beliefs and opinions and opens our eyes to many new things. Social media apps, movies and music all have the power to influence us. But as much as the large media presence can help us grow, it can also be dangerous.
Parasocial relationships are described as one-sided relationships where one party puts great effort into the relationship, while the other is not aware of the relationship at all. This is extremely common with celebrities and other media personalities. Over the years, because of social media, it has become easier to find information about celebrities, especially key traits like their family, likes, dislikes, relationship status and even their location. The amount of readily available information dupes fans into feeling like they have a closer relationship with celebrities.
While it’s common to feel admiration or adoration for a celebrity, forming an unhealthy attachment with them creates problems. In many cases, the unhealthy attachments of fans have led to stalkings, threats and other forms of violence against celebrities. Though the relationship that occurs between fans and celebrities may not be new, parasocial relationships push the boundaries between the two parties.
When the recent cheating scandal of Ned Fulmer of the Try Guys, a group of Youtube influencers, hit the internet, platforms like Twitter and Instagram were filled with people sharing how disappointed they were and how they expected so much better from Fulmer.
Junior Elly Huhn was also surprised by the news. “I was very shocked when I heard the news about Ned from the Try Guys. I’ve been an avid watcher for a couple years now and it was just so surprising to hear about it all. Especially because his whole brand for the Try Guys was that he loved his wife and kids.” she stated.
Fulmer’s behavior shows, once again, that despite the openness that many celebrities have with the public, their true personality is something that’s never truly revealed. In the “Try Guy” videos, Fulmer was a funny, kindhearted family-man, hence why his infidelity confused his audience.
“I definitely expected more from him based on the persona he makes in their videos, but then again this is another time in pop culture when you really have no clue what the people that you follow are off screen,” Huhn stated.
Idolizing celebrities and putting them on a pedestal erases the fact that they are human too; they will make mistakes. Though they should be held accountable for their mistakes, it’s important to respect our boundaries as fans, people that only know these celebrities through a screen. Celebrities are entitled to their privacy, and as fans, it’s crucial to know when boundaries have to be respected. Sharing your opinions and feelings over a topic on social media isn’t a problem; however, when peoples’ privacy are getting invaded and wild accusations are spreading around,when fans need to stop.
Junior Nikki Nallu has seen behavior similar to the Try Guys incident multiple times on social media. “People on TikTok are making up these ridiculous fantasies and conspiracies about the Try Guys members about their reactions to Ned cheating. It’s invasive and their lives aren’t soap operas. They deserve their privacy,” she stated.
When the other three Try Guys—Keith, Eugene and Zack—released their statement about the scandal, people on social media completely disregarded the seriousness of the situation. They saw Eugene’s emotions and reactions in the video, and instead of understanding how grave the situation is for them, they made jokes about how they wish they could have seen how angry Eugene was with Ned.
The Try Guys are facing major losses because of this scandal, but to many fans, it’s just another piece of entertainment they can amuse themselves with from behind a screen.
The entitlement and lack of respect fans feel toward celebrities and their feelings just because they publicize aspects of their lives needs to stop. Treating people with respect and decency isn’t something that can just be ignored because someone is famous.
