Can you describe what Stan Twitter is and what it’s like?
Stan Twitter is people who are a huge fan of a person or a group of people. I’d say most of stan Twitter hold liberal values and expect others to do so as well but sometimes they have contradictory opinions which can be annoying. For example, my idol is widely hated for everything she does (like dating a few men in her 15 years of being famous) but stan Twitter likes to preach on their feministic beliefs which is hypocrisy to say the least. Of course I’m well aware that as people we hold our own unique values so this is merely a generalisation.

How do you think fans and Stan Twitter have evolved over time?
When I first joined Twitter as a fan this term wasn’t widely used. As technology evolved and smartphones became more accessible the amount of people using Twitter to support their idols increased rapidly. People on Twitter didn’t always talk about politics or equality and personally I didn’t know much about the LGBTQ+ community and racial issues (or I just didn’t notice it) but then, gradually, people online started having more discussions and it definitely made me a more educated person and shaped my values in some ways. I’d say stan Twitter today is definitely more diverse than it appeared when I first joined it which is a great thing. One negative thing is cancel culture. That didn’t always exist, I believe.

Ali herself is a part of the LGBTQ+ community, identifying as pansexual. Several of her idols are also part of the LGBTQ+ community, such as Rose and Rosie or Cara Delevigine and Ashley Benson.

Twitter's way of connecting fans and celebrities inevitably led to the spread of 'fandoms' and consequently, Stan Twitter. Julia Alexander of Polygon wrote, "Twitter unified people on one platform, but people quickly divided themselves (...) Stan Twitter is an overarching collection of various fandoms."

What’s the difference between a fan and a stan?
The way I see it the word "stan" is exclusive to being a fan online. But I guess a stan would know more about the person than a fan possibly due to being in the online fandom.

Would you say that you’re a stan?
I don’t like that word because I know where it originated from. But yes, I am a stan by my own definition.

Ali identifies as a 'stan' by her own definition, meaning a fan online. The word 'stan' is used very widely now, both as a noun (to be a stan) and as a verb (to stan someone). The word is only one of many that has evolved on Twitter. Stan Twitter has become so popular that many call it a 'culture.' Stan culture includes everything from memes to its language — @kaisooizt made a thread on Stan Twitter language, but it is constantly growing.

Like Ali stated, most people on Stan Twitter are harmless and just passionate fans of their idols. There are, of course, anomalies. Because social media is so global and accessible, Stan Twitter has allowed for fans to follow their idols' lives very closely. In the K-Pop fandoms, there is a term called 'sasaeng fans', meaning an obsessive fan who is a stalker — some even follow their idols around the globe. Taylor Swift herself often has crowds of fans waiting outside her New York apartment. Information on celebrities is passed around much more easily and openly due to social media, and Stan Twitter is undoubtedly a contributor.