Okay, I wasn’t gonna say anything more, but while we’re all still kind of on the subject I want to talk about the creator-fandom divide and mental health.
New media (streamers and the like) are in a unique position. Not quite celebrities, not quite ordinary people - it’s been really interesting to see how different creators navigate their fanbase. MCYTs especially have a smaller gap between the two parties, and this may be an unpopular opinion, but I don’t think those connections are inherently bad. I think recognizing both ends of the spectrum as more than formless entities - the cc as a person and the fans as individuals in turn - humanizes all of us.
Where it comes to be a problem is when either side steps over this wobbly line in the sand. And I don’t think this is a “creators need to be more firm with their fanbase” or “dumb kids being indoctrinated” scenario. There’s a lot more nuance than that. This is a culture-wide shift that needs to be adjusted at the root. I’m not sure if that’s actually possible, but my point is that no single person is at fault, nor can they fix this.
Ranboo, the other day, said that he’s not a therapist. And he’s not. He only graduated high school last week (which isn’t a bad thing, it just speaks to his qualifications) and yet people’s responses to that disclaimer were “yes you are.” And I am aware that they don’t mean that literally - they don’t think he has a therapy license and they don’t expect him to cut them off at 55 minutes and tell them to check in at the front desk - but it’s the same kind of concept as when a person donates to a streamer and tells them “you saved my life.”
Here’s the thing: I understand that feeling. I do. However I may sound, I’m not some jaded anti-fandom. I don’t think it’s something that we talk about often for a variety of reasons, but there has been media that saved my life. Hell, there’s been content creators that saved my life. There was a point where I watched an insane amount of Good Mythical Morning because every single thing I did triggered me except for their videos. During that time, their channel was pretty much all that kept me going.
The difference is that I didn’t tell them that. It never even crossed my mind to. After reading A Little Life, I didn’t call up Hanya Yanigahara to tell her that her novel changed the way I see the world. I haven’t ever told Wilbur that his album spoke to me in a way no other has. I don’t plan to ever do those things and I don’t think anyone should. I think the impact of content on a consumer ultimately does not and should not have anything to do with its creator.
I understand the temptation. It’s like a thank-you, almost. A measure of how much they’ve done for you. In a way, on a smaller scale, it’s the same thing with calling a cc a “comfort creator.” I have those. We all have those, even the creators themselves. But telling them about it places some kind of mantle of responsibility on them. Instead of being able to do what they love and having it leave a positive impact on the world, now they are forced to be aware of the lives supposedly hinging on everything they do when they have their own life to live.
For the fan, this leads to stuff like unrealistic expectations. That demand for the creator to be aware of the same things you are and have the same opinions you do because they are that important to you. I get it, I do, but that’s just not sustainable. If someone like Schlatt, for example, bothers you enough that it upsets you to see your favorite ccs interacting with him, you need to decide whether the content out-values his presence. And if you can’t, you have reached an issue that needs to be resolved.
Existence is made better by good media. For people with limited resources, emotional outlets, etc, it can even be vital. And while you do need to find other things in your life that are important to you, sometimes all you can do is keep moving forward, and that’s (again, in my opinion), fine. But people in this fandom (and other fandoms, I’m sure) need to learn to appreciate the wall that exists between them and the people they look up to. However small the gap, it’s there. It will always be there. And that’s a good thing for everyone involved.
I’m not here to pull a Ludwig and tell you that the people you watch are not your friends. I think we all know that. But there’s more layers to a connection than friendship and not-friendship. There’s a trend of succumbing to investment in a creator on a personal level that is only going to hurt you. It’s a fine line to walk, for sure, because I’m not one of those people who spouts off the word “parasocial” at any opportunity and like I said, I think some amount of human understanding is a good thing.
The problems lie in this grey area of what “too-personal” means, and while I can’t dictate your life, nor is it my place to, I think that’s something important to keep in mind.