Age of Eden: You keep saying that word, I do not think it means what you think it means

What word is it that I’m going on about you ask? I’m talking about the word “fan.” I’ve always been a strong believer that people often confuse being a fan of something people do, or say, with being a fan of a person and who they are. It’s entirely possible to be both, but the two aren’t reliant on one another.

If I follow someone on social media, it’s because I like what they do or what they are involved in. I don’t really know anything about them and who they are, and therefore can’t tell you whether or not they are someone I’d want to share a meal with. So am I a fan of that person? No, I’m a fan of their work, I’m a fan of their sense of humor, I’m a fan of their art, whatever it may be. I like the work my doctor does, but for all I know he could be a douche! There is so much more to a person than one thing they do, and personally I’m not quick to hand out admiration based on just one thing. The same logic goes the other way as well; I’m not one to judge someone based on one thing, either.

Last night I engaged in a conversation on Twitter, one that was initiated by a celebrity. This celebrity gave his opinion on a subject matter, which happened to be selfies, and proceeded to discuss the topic with both a mix of serious conviction and the always needed comedic break. Immediately I was struck by how incredibly cool and rare it was to see a celebrity really interacting with their fans beyond the typical-

Celeb: Hey! Here’s a cool picture of a bunch of people you follow all together in one groupie, watch my show!

“Fan”: OMG! I love you!! You’re so gr8 and hot and the best person ever!! *squeeeeeeee*

I’m not saying that there is anything wrong with the above type of exchange, so long as it doesn’t end in a skin suit. But seeing someone really interacting, and not only sharing their thoughts, but being willing to hear others, I found that to be very telling about what that celebrity might stand for as a person, as opposed to just as a professional.

The thing that bothered me was that there were some people who didn’t seem to know how to react to the situation. They took things personally and they attacked someone to whom they would normally pitch baby making. People have a tendency to two-dimensionalize celebrities; they are what they do and what they look like, and they don’t do or think about anything else. At the first glimpse of real life and real ideals, some people freaked out.

This is really just one example, countless others can be found in judgmental stories on magazine covers, the internet, and social media. When celebrities show their real people suddenly become very judgmental and often hypocritical. It’s as if they can’t associate that this is a person and that it’s okay for a person to say and do things that you may not like.

In this case, I found myself caught up in the conversation. I agreed mostly with the sentiments of the initiating celebrity. I don’t think selfies in and of themselves are bad things. I think, like all things in life, the motivation behind something is often more important than the act itself. The problem is that too often people are taking pictures of themselves to seek validation, to help boost their self-esteem. This external validation just buries some people deeper in a hole, because the word to focus on in self-esteem, is self, and they still aren’t doing that.

Forever people have looked for worth in all the wrong places, that isn’t a new thing. But in this age of social media and technology, people have become disconnected from others, from themselves. This was evident in the selfie discussion, just as much as it was case in point with some people’s reactions to the conversation in general. A lot of individuals missed the importance of what was being talked about, because they weren’t looking at the big picture of what was being discussed, they only saw what was being said. They are two very different things.

Even if I hadn’t agreed with this persons particular logic, that would have been okay. It was the act of the conversation itself that primarily impressed me. Still, some people went as far as un-following this individual, all because they respectfully voiced their opinion. This blew my mind, because had I not been following this person already, I’d have started. That is infinitely disturbing to me, it’s not what being a fan is about. That is sort of my point. I could take it much deeper than that, because in reality, none of us will ever agree on everything, and it’s a very big problem in this world today that we judge people so singularly, when all we need do is show a bit of respect for the opinion of others.

The moral of the story is that there is a difference between being a fan of something someone does, and being a fan of a person. The later actually requires knowing said person. I hope people can remember that and really look at what it is someone is trying to accomplish with their comments before you condemn them. The motivation behind their words is very important. In this case, I think that this celebrity could have had this same conversation on many different platforms, without involving social media at all, and yet he chose to engage a bunch of random strangers, thereby giving his time and a bit of insight into his thoughts. If people looked at that separately, as coming from a person, not from a character that they like- maybe they would have seen it a bit differently. We are all responsible for one thing in this life, and one thing only, ourselves. It should always be a priority to show a level of respect and appreciation for others, celebrity or not. It really doesn't matter how many people follow you, or what you do for a living, what is important is how much integrity you have.

I feel like I should also say that for the most part, the responses to the conversation were positive, thought provoking, and giggle worthy.

To finish this post out, I'm going to leave you with examples of acceptable and unacceptable selfies.