STAN

You think you could be besties with Hailey Bieber? Cute.  We explore obsessive celebrity worship, parasocial relationships and digital intimacy. Each episode centres on a cultural icon or phenomenon—ranging from The Hunger Games, erotic fiction, 2010s YouTubers and (of course) Taylor Swift—to unpack how the media we consumed, particularly during our formative years, shaped our desires, ideals, and sense of self. Tangents Include:  Why we expect celebrities to be moral compasses, activists and entrepreneurs The deification and subsequent ‘dethroning’ of women in media (e.g. Blake Lively) The constant access to celebrities through social media, and our sense of ‘ownership’ over them (i.e. we made you what you are, therefore you owe us) How our early media diets reflected and influenced what we value, what we want, and who we are The evolution of fandom in an age where access is constant and attention is monetised