Social media has made celebrities “accessible” to the general population. Most band members have a twitter and instagram. There are “like” pages on facebook fans can access and a few even have actual facebook accounts where you can “friend” them. It makes them seem a little more “real” to fans and most fans are respectful. However, this instant access has made some fans forget that behind the account is a real person.
A band member posts a video of himself and some friends going out for a day of fun somewhere and the internet blows up with comments. Some are nice, wishing the band guy and his friend a good time. Then you get the fans that decided that today is the day they turn into bullies. Things are said that can’t be taken back and could easily be considered rude and inappropriate.
If you’re tweeting or commenting on a band member’s social media and you’re calling his friends whores or asking him when he’s going to stop having one night stands, you’ve crossed the line.
If a band member, or any celebrity for that matter, tweets something you don’t like, you have the right to say something to them in response but remember to do so with respect. Calling them names, cursing them or just downright being ignorant isn’t cute and isn’t going to get you noticed.
Celebrities have lives and friends like the rest of us and it’s not our place to judge them. Doing so makes you nothing more than a bully. Whether you disagree with their choices or not isn’t really their concern. Tweeting them that you hate their girlfriend and even going so far as to tweeting death threats to said girlfriend isn’t going to make them want to date you. Let’s be honest and live in reality now. It’s very unlikely that any member of any band is going to just decide that some teenage girl tweeting them is the love of their life and instantly sweep her off of her feet and they’ll ride off into the sunset and live happily ever after. This isn’t a Disney movie.
A lot of fans have been bullied themselves and sadly when they get onto social media and see a band member tweet something they don’t like they turn into bullies themselves. Stop and think before you tweet or comment. Would you say it to their face if they were standing in front of you? Would it hurt you if someone said the same thing to you?
Celebrities are real human beings and they have feelings and sometimes those feelings get hurt by what fans say to them. Yes, they’re used to the “haters” but sadly it’s not the haters that are being ignorant little twats on a daily basis. Celebrities’ mentions are flooded every day and it’s expected. What isn’t expected is the level of inconsiderate tweets they get. And while we’re talking about tweets to a celebrity, constantly flooding their mentions with “follow me” or “tweet me back” is annoying not only to the celebrity but anyone on your own timeline. It’s highly unlikely they’re going to tweet you back and less likely they’re going to just randomly follow a fan. Yes, it happens but most celebrities only follow people they know in real life or that are connected to the business in some way. It’s hard to keep up with millions of tweets especially if you’re famous. Occasionally they see a tweet they feel like responding to and they do. If it happens, it’s great and you should be excited but blowing up their mentions after that is just rude. Screenshot it, retweet it, show your excitement to your friends and keep it forever because it is exciting. Just don’t make a nuisance of yourself to the celebrity. We all get starstruck, it happens, it’s how we handle it that separates us from the fangirls and the fans.
So next time you’re on twitter and you see something you don’t like from a celebrity, keep in mind that in the grand scheme of things your opinion really isn’t going to change their lives. And being an “internet troll” makes you the lowest form of life there is. As my grandmother used to say “you catch a lot more flies with honey than with vinegar”. Be nice, be respectful and don’t forget that the internet isn’t as anonymous as you think.
Life At The Barrier: 