The Origin of "Stan" : What is a Stan? Are you a Stan?
Fans have always existed. It’s normal to support someone’s work and call yourself a fan of theirs. This is most prominent with pop stars and their strong following like Justin Bieber (Beliebers) or Lady Gaga (Little Monsters). Think of crying fans obsessing over an artist at a concert.
But in the last few years or so, "Stan" has become a new breed. In simpler terms, they’re the hardcore version of fans.
Oxford English Dictionary added the word in 2017 and defines it as a noun; An overzealous or obsessive fan of a particular celebrity. But also a verb; Be an overzealous or obsessive fan of a particular celebrity.
The origin of the word was actually coined from Rapper Eminem’s song, “Stan” (2000), in the video above. The Rap song is about an obsessive fan desperately writing to Eminem trying to get a response. But didn't get one soon enough.
In the music video Stan was originally short for Stanley. But it happens to conveniently fit with the most thrown around alternative definition:
Stan = Stalker + Fan
Don’t take the label too literal now, overtime it had lost its connotation. It's just a way to describe how diehard they are because it can get intense.
According to Oxford English Dictionary "Stan" as a verb didn't get used until a random tweet in 2008:
Then the word started gaining traction. As you can see the internet can influence and popularize things until it becomes official.
As the word began to be a thing, it was now labeled to fan communities online. Stans know the ins and out of artist's work and are constantly promoting or protecting them. Derek Thompson author of Hit Makers: The Science of Popularity in an Age of Distraction, stated in his Refinery 29 article feature,
“In sociology, cults are groups that self-organize around the principle that the mainstream is bad in some way, and then offer a positive rebellion against it. The internet makes it easier for them, not only because you can self-organize around a single positive idea like Beyoncé is awesome, but also because you can organize around an opposition, like Rihanna fans are trash. The internet has provided a great place for fans to come together, yes, but it also channels their rage, despair, and resentment."
Thompson concisely explains Stans basically bond over mutual interest but also hate. For example, Beyoncé fans will come to her defense if you criticize her out of spite (google Kidd Rock & Bey feud). They give their unconditional support and admiration, negating the stalker status at least.
In relation to Participatory Media Culture, Stans have taken advantage of the affordances that comes with the internet and social media networks. Their presence is most felt online, especially on platforms like Tumblr, Instagram, Reddit, but specifically Twitter. Twitter seems to be the battleground of choice. In this digital era, the accessibility of the internet has increased our connectedness even if it’s not face to face interaction. Computer-mediated communication has allowed Stans to congregate online in an efficient way where they can create an account and search for mutuals as long as they have technological devices to do so (Lindgren, 68). In theory, any person regardless of race, age, class, location and any other identity intersections can join a fan group (Lindgren, 71). I think that's why their online activity is so prominent because there's a lot of them from different demographics, which is a quite powerful.
Is this a real community even though they don’t see each other in real life?
The simple answer is yes. They have formed a shared culture online where there is a sense of belonging even if it’s in front of a screen (Lindgren, 86). Stans are communicating regularly which in result curates a culture where they share similar lingo, behaviors, and agendas. I think it's also important to stress that anyone can participate in Stan culture. It doesn't always have to center on bonding over an artist, that's just the starting point. You can simply be a part of Stan Twitter because you know the memes and know how to troll, or you're a part of a different side of Twitter that doesn't involve fandoms.
It’s very common to come across stan-related activities aka their “culture” such as memes, viral tweets, viral videos, promotion, hashtags, trolling, AAVE, and even cyberbullying. Memes are a big hit because it's enjoyable and functions like a inside joke (Shifman). Trolling is also another "stan behavior" that's easily noticed just cause they like being reckless. Obviously, any user can do these but Stans are experts at this. They make up so much of internet content by just creating and circulating it. These aren’t mild fans that attend concerts. These are highly engaged STANS going out of their way to be connected with their fandom and constantly posting.
Diehard fans have no problem claiming the label Stan because that's a way to identify themselves. I feel like this label brings the online fandoms together because it builds a camaraderie that they're all mutually obsessive and they know it too (Lindgren, 89).
Stan is just an umbrella term, we can go into specifics: Beyoncé Stan (BeyHive), Rihanna Stan (Navy), Nicki Minaj Stan (Barbz), T.V. Show Stan (G.O.T) , Movie Stan (Marvel Franchise), Youtuber Stan (Makeup Gurus), Kpop Stan (BTS) , and many more genres.
You’ve probably laughed at a meme not knowing it came from a Stan account. They’re the ones flooding comment sections of celebrities with “yass”, “queen”, or “legend”. Or even roasting a celebrity to the point of a hiatus aka Alessia Cara. It’s either really funny because they know how to make jokes and have fun or it’s toxic due to the entitlement and immature hate.
Here are some examples of Stan-like content:
Why are stans worthy of their own discourse? For starters, the word Stan is in the dictionary and Stan Twitter has their own Wikipedia page. That’s legit. It’s no longer dismissed as “crazy fans”. It’s quite complex in my opinion. The fandom community has really showed us what being “online” constantly looks like and how much impact it has.
Here are some notable examples of Stan-related moments which will help you understand what I mean if you still don't get it:
This is an article explaining stan twitter
https://www.huffingtonpost.ca/maija-kappler/toxic-stan-culture_a_23630003/
Star Wars stans posted so much racist hate towards actress Kelly Marie Tran that she deleted her Instagram account.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-44379473
Ariana Grande Stans coming together to get “Thank you, Next” viral through the streaming era
https://gcn.ie/stan-culture-ariana-grandes/
Here’s a funny quote from Bebe Rexha talking about the intensity of her Stans:
“Bebe Rexha told ‘EW’ in an interview she loves having the ability to communicate directly with fans. “I get yelled at! I’m like, ‘I’m sorry!'”. They’ll send me pictures with knives. I’m like, ‘You guys are too much!'”
Are you a Stan of anybody? Is there a public figure that you absolutely admire
and would go the length to protect and advocate for them?
Davis, A. (2017, March 14). Fans Vs. Stans: When Celebrity Obsession Goes Too Far. Retrieved June 4, 2019, from https://www.refinery29.com/en-us/2017/03/145155/celebrity-stans-fans-cyberbullying-problem
Gabreyes, R. (2019, May 31). For The Record: The Dark Side Of Stan Culture. Retrieved June 4, 2019, from https://genius.com/a/for-the-record-the-dark-side-of-stan-culture
Kappler, M. (2019, January 03). In 2019, Let’s Have A Less Toxic ‘Stan’ Culture. Retrieved June 4, 2019, from https://www.huffingtonpost.ca/maija-kappler/toxic-stan-culture_a_23630003/
Lindgren, S. (2017). Digital media and society. Los Angeles: SAGE.Shaffer, C. (2018, December 10).
How Ariana Grande’s ‘Thank U, Next’ Became a Viral Video ‘Event’ in the Streaming Era. Retrieved June 4, 2019, from https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/pop/8489013/ariana-grande-thank-u-next-viral-video-event-youtube
Shifman, L. (2014). Memes in digital culture. Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press.
Star Wars actress Kelly Marie Tran deletes Instagram posts after abuse. (2018, June 06). Retrieved June 4, 2019, from https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-44379473
