Stan Twitter and Culture: The Interview

about @stantwitterandculture

Interviewer: Ivy Kurniawan
Interviewee: Ali / @thecruelcities

about @stantwitterandculture

Ali, also known as @thecruelcities on Twitter, is an active part of Stan Twitter. Her account has around 11,200 followers. Her bio tells us that she has been ‘certified swiftie trash since 2009’ and that she is a part of multiple fandoms, namely: Taylor Swift, Rose and Rosie, Harry Potter, Lorde, the MCU, and Brie Larson. She often posts images and memes relating to those idols and fandoms that she is a part of. Her Twitter username itself is a tribute to one of Taylor Swift's songs, Daylight.

about @stantwitterandculture

Ali was kind enough to answer some questions regarding her experience and thoughts about Stan Twitter and culture, and how it impacts our current generation. Read the entire interview below, or by topic through the sidebar on the right.

interview @stantwitterandculture

When did you start your account?
July, 2013.

interview @stantwitterandculture

Why did you decide to start one?
I’d used Twitter before but as a personal account where I interacted with my friends from school so I knew Twitter fanbases were a thing and it looked fun. None of my friends were into the same things I was so I guess I did it to feel less lonely and I used to be quite shy and Twitter allowed me to be more brave in terms of making friends and speaking my mind.

interview @stantwitterandculture

How important is your account and your idol to you?
Not as important as they used to be. It’s fun when something exciting happens in the fandom but my actual life is a lot more important to me. As for my idol, I’m definitely not as interested in them as I used to be because the people in my life occupy my mind a lot more.

interview @stantwitterandculture

How much of your time is dedicated to running your account?
I use it about 3 times a week for about 15 minutes now, so not a lot. Unless my idol does something interesting, then I’d spend more time on it. I spend more time listening to their music though.

about @stantwitterandculture

Ali says she is more dedicated to her idols' music than running her account now. For example, she went to Taylor Swift's reputation tour on June 9, 2018.

interview @stantwitterandculture

What kind of content do you post on your account?
Mostly just me reacting to something my idol did or replying to my friends’ tweets.

about @stantwitterandculture

Ali often uses reaction memes when tweeting and responding to her idols and friends. This one is her 'personal favourite wink gif.'

about @stantwitterandculture

She also posts a lot of Buzzfeed quiz results. She mainly posts about quizzes that are related to her idols, like "What Song From 'Lover' Are You?" Go to the Tweets Gallery to view more.

interview @stantwitterandculture

What goals do you have for your account?
I don’t really have any. I use it whenever I’m bored.

interview @stantwitterandculture

How has your account impacted your life?
Greatly. My best friends are the people I met on Twitter. I met my fiancé on Twitter too. When I was a teenager being on this site helped me come to terms with my sexuality because it was so normal and acceptable there. Then I’d go outside and have these conversations with the people around me but they were at least subtly homophobic.

interview @stantwitterandculture

How has it impacted the relationship you have with your idol(s)?
I definitely feel more connected to my idol because they’ve acknowledged my existence online. It also gave me more insight into who they were as a person and that only made me like them more but I don’t feel as though they’re someone I know. They’re still a stranger to me because I don’t know them personally.

interview @stantwitterandculture

Have you ever been recognized by your idol(s)?
A few of times over the last few years.

about @stantwitterandculture

One of the recent times that Ali was recognized by Taylor Swift happened on August 23, 2019. She liked one of Ali's posts on Tumblr.

about @stantwitterandculture

Ali has also been noticed by Rose and Rosie, two YouTubers she is a fan of several times. (@lightswentout is Ali's old Twitter username.)

interview @stantwitterandculture

What are some of the struggles you’ve faced while running your account?
Keeping it a secret from people around me and being ghosted by a friend online. No way to knock on their door and ask for closure.

about @stantwitterandculture

Another time Taylor Swift liked Ali's post on Tumblr.

interview @stantwitterandculture

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.

interview @stantwitterandculture

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.

about @stantwitterandculture

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.

interview @stantwitterandculture

The word ‘stan’ originally came from an Eminem song to show a superfan who is a borderline stalker. The word has become so normalised in social media. What makes someone a stan today?
I think there’s a difference between being a stalker and being a harmless fan online. In my opinion a stan is just someone who’s done their research on their idol and has a fan account.

interview @stantwitterandculture

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.

interview @stantwitterandculture

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.

interview @stantwitterandculture

What do you think are the positive and the negative aspects of social media and stan culture in general?
I think the good things about it are that it allows us to connect with like-minded people and it can be quite informative and entertaining. The cons are probably people who aren’t nice to others because they feel brave behind a screen but if you don’t allow yourself to care about the opinion of a random person online it’s not that bad.

interview @stantwitterandculture

How do you think social media and stan culture affects your idol(s)?
reputation by Taylor Swift says it all. If they don’t look at the negative things being said about them or they simply don’t care it shouldn’t affect them much. Also being aware of the fact that people online can be mean because they’re unhappy with themselves and don’t have much else going on for them should help too. Taylor herself once said: “You’re not the opinion of someone who doesn’t know you” and I hope she still lives by that. She uses Tumblr to interact with fans who are quite nice there which, I hope, affects her positively. She's also turned off the option for people to comment on her Instagram posts so I imagine that makes it an enjoyable platform for her as well. She once said she avoids Twitter because people are too negative there.

about @stantwitterandculture

'reputation' is Taylor Swift's sixth studio album. The songs on the album talk about the 'death' of Swift's reputation due to online hatred. It uses a lot of imagery centred around snakes, which is what Stan Twitter often called Swift. Miss Americana on Netflix also documents the impact of social media and fame on the singer-songwriter, and her struggles dealing with that.

interview @stantwitterandculture

Stan culture has been called ‘toxic’ and ‘problematic’ many times. Do you agree and why?
I think that’s just the immature and unhappy people. I hope there's not too many of them on Twitter but sometimes a few pop up. I previously said that sometimes the general opinion on something is the opposite of their shared values which I think is the problematic part. Cancel culture can be toxic as it doesn't give people the chance to apologise and grow without demonising them first.

interview @stantwitterandculture

How would you say stan culture has impacted our generation – mentally and socially?
People online are exposed to different types of people. It allows our generation to be more accepting and understanding towards minorities. I think that’s the most important thing. Mentally, it depends on the people they interact with - there can be people who aren’t as accepting as others and that can have a negative impact on one’s mental health. Overall, I think we as a society are going in the right direction.

interview @stantwitterandculture

What advice would you give to someone who wants to start engaging in Stan Twitter? How do you stay mentally healthy in a space like that?
The amount of followers and friends you have doesn’t determine your worth in any way. Quality is more important than quantity. If you feel like taking time off, do it and don’t be scared of losing followers, you can always gain more when you come back. Don’t forget to engage with people outside the Internet. Twitter is supposed to be fun so if you’re not having fun anymore leave or find a different friend group/fanbase.