With the heavy presence of social media, traditional fan clubs have become obsolete, and have been replaced by Stans. Stans are Uber fans who go to any length to show their devotion to their favorite celebrities. In many ways, Stans can make or break a person’s brand.
July 2018, it was reported that Kylie Jenner had an estimated net worth of $900 million. Her devoted fans began donating money to a GoFundMe campaign, to raise $100 million, making Jenner the world’s youngest billionaire. The majority of her brand has been influenced by her faithful fan base, and is behind its success, despite its downfalls.
Unfortunately, Stans like Nicki Minaj’s “Barbz” are notorious for being cyberbullies to anyone who goes after the rapper. When her rival artist, Cardi B, released her album, a GQ review called her the “new Nicki”. The Barbz went into a rage, sending death threats via Twitter. This was not the first time Minaj, or her fans participated in online harassment. There is no evidence of accountability, which can hurt her in the long run. It may have already affected her album sales, seeing as though her recent Queen, didn’t do as well as she anticipated
What kind of Stan are you? Are you a Stan willing to go after someone who
speaks negatively about your favorite celeb?