According to Wikipedia, the Herd mentality, mob mentality and pack mentality, also lesser known as gang mentality, describes how people can be influenced by their peers to adopt certain behaviors on a primarily emotional, rather than rational, basis. When individuals are affected by mob mentality, they may make different decisions than they would have individually.
If you google herd/mob mentality, there is an image of bulls falling off a cliff. I have seen similar photos of sheep and even people falling off a cliff. The picture is very poignant because it pretty much depicts how fans of Actors, Entertainers, Social Media Influencers react in mass on digital platforms.
In the last couple of years, I have observed the digital mob has gotten out of control. Fans or Stans some people like to call them have lashed out in such ferocity over simple disagreements. Some celebrities have come out publicly to condemn these behaviors, while others remain silent. These fans have taken their love for the artist to a terrifying level. It’s almost to the point of worshipping these celebrities as if they are divine beings or Gods. Lord forbids if a celebrity or influencer publicly disagrees with a topic or issue, let alone outright say they don’t like the star their fans, flood the individual’s social media account with emojis and horrifying comments.
Wishing someone to die, commit suicide, or threaten their personal safety is beyond wrong. Like seriously, there is something wrong with this. Mobs, whether in person or digital, are hard to control. When they are unleashed, the damage is unknown. Some have recovered from the brutal attacks, while some are deeply scarred. Regardless of the situation or opinions of the specific topic. The person on the receiving end of this attack is a human being, with feelings and personal insecurities. I am sure their disagreement did not intend of such backlash. No one deserves that type of attack in mass. No one does. Tens of thousands of “Stans” flooding your comments and inbox with hateful, bigoted comments are alarming and worrisome. I am sure when 10,000 plus people leave messages of wishing you died, you would be bothered by it as well.
I will repeat this it’s wrong beyond wrong. That celebrity’s job is to entertain the masses with their art form. Their art is inspiring and captivating. It touches the fans to the core in an almost divine manner. It can be relatable, helpful in overcoming a personal struggle or inspire the individual to pursue their own dreams. As a fan myself, we are motivated by their almost inhuman ways of achieving their art in such feet. One must also remember that entertainer is a human being with feelings and struggles they are not a God or Goddess despite how big their egos maybe. Whether you are an ordinary person with 80 followers or a celebrity with 80 million followers, everyone is human and are entitled to their opinions and thoughts. Instead of attacking, look at the situation from a different perspective. Everyone deserves to be treated like a human being with decency and respect. Next time you decide to express outrage in defense of your beloved artist on social media, think about the tens of thousands of fellow stans/fans who are doing the same thing. One sting can hurt, but hundreds of thousands of stings can be fatal.
If you find yourself on the receiving end of some mass hate, take a breath and log off the internet for 24-48 hours. Your need to defend and fight back will be pointless because the numbers will be overwhelming. I promise you the less you comment the faster it will die down. The good news is Stans have very short attention spans and will move on to the next thing to be mad at. Silence is your best option. By the end of the week, your beef will be old news as long as the hornet’s nest doesn’t get kicked around. I know from first-hand experience.
Just remember the solution to cyberbullying is to block and delete. If the cyber-attacks are small and manageable it will stop. If you have a large following, log off and take a social media break for a while. Its not worth your mental health entertaining or fighting a crowd who won’t listen to reason.
Do you, Be you, Love you
Bohemian Life