The New Superfans: Stans

There are microcosms of highly dedicated fans on the internet who are called stans. They are the modern superfans, dedicating part of (or all of) their online identity to what they idolize. In the online world, they're given access to their celebrities on an unprecedented scale. There are pros and cons to this new form of parasocial relationship, and it's primarily the young who engage in it. They are as significant an online social force as haters. As time passes, the tight-knit communities of stans shift and develop at alarming rates of complexity.