Sharing their lives online is the rule rather than the exception for many people. On any given day Tumblr's #personal tag and is filled with posts covering everything from struggles with mental illness to people showing off their outfit of the day. From mommy bloggers chronicling their adventures in parenting to Youtubers allowing their subscribers access to even the most mundane details of their personal lives (Sidenote: Who are you people asking for personal hygiene tutorials? Like, why and what for?) we've created a society where people are comfortable exposing any and all aspects of their daily lives to relative strangers.
The ability to IG, Tweet, blog, vlog, Snapchat and Facebook every minute of the day has had the side effect of turning "regular people" into internet sensations. People with ordinary jobs and lives find themselves "Tumblr famous" or "IG celebrities" because they have huge numbers of faithful followers ready and willing to reblog, share, retweet and "spread this like wildfire" whenever they make a post. They have Q&A sessions inviting their followers to "ask me anything". They offer opinions on everything from politics and sex work, to whether Prince or Micheal Jackson was the superior vocalist. They make confessions and concessions and no matter how much they give, their followers and subscribers remain thirsty for more. This desire for more is especially true when the person in question is a "legitimate" celebrity (or author/artist).
The more fan culture gives way to stan culture the more the lines between product and producer blur. The Beyhive aren't just fans of Beyoncé's music; Beyoncé herself gives us them life! They are on her Tumblr, her Twitter, her IG, her website. They can tell you everything from her mama's shoe size to her baby Blue's favorite cartoon character. They may have come for the music, but they stay for Queen Bey. For artists like Rihanna, Beyoncé, and Taylor Swift having stans invested in them just as much, if not more than, their music works out well. Their popularity translates into hit singles, successful tours, movie roles, endorsements and magazine covers.
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