The boy band, Why Don’t We, recently accused their manager of mental and financial abuse and their fans are showing support for them on social media.  Not too long ago Britney Spears’ fans were up in arms protesting in the streets to support the celebrity in her court battle to dissolve her conservatorship. Recently, Spears credited her fans for “saving” her life.  The question is, why do fans care what happens to celebrities in their private lives?

“People all around the world unintentionally tend to create a parasocial relationship with famous singers and entertainers when they feel that they can relate to them in a specific way that makes them feel mentally and emotionally secure,” according to Vicky Brooks, York College of Pennsylvania (2021).

LHS freshman Riley Bubeck said that she thinks people care about celebrities like Spears because their music makes them feel as though the singer-songwriter understands what they themselves could be going through.

“They learn who people are through music and care about them as a person mostly because of how they make them feel,” said Bubeck. 

Another freshman, Allie Thompson agrees.

“People on social media feel like they know celebrities since some celebrities post everything that happens in their life.  People who spend a lot of time on social media know a bunch of information about these celebrities,” she said.

So when fans can communicate with celebrities by posting comments on the celebrity’s social media page, fans begin to believe that they have a reciprocal relationship with the celebrity. 

When Spears posted on social media her disgust with the legal system, many fans expressed their emotional support for her. 

“Many people care about the Britney Spears situation because a human is being dictated over their life,” said Mrs. Marsh, a student-teacher in the art department at Lancaster High School. 

During Spears’ court trials #freebritney surfaced on Tiktok and accumulated over two billion views. 

Many people under the hashtag created conspiracy theories about the conservatorship and questioned what else Spears may be experiencing unknown to her fanbase.

“They see how celebrities have the same life problems and emotions as we do and they connect to the celebrity as they would a regular person,” said Bubeck.

On the flip side, some people deliberately avoid becoming emotionally attached to a celebrity.

“I don’t care about their personal life because it takes too much time, it’s weird and not interesting to me,” said Jayauna Latham, a freshman at LHS.