The recent past has been full of economic uncertainty and financial stress. Markets are dropping, tariffs are looming and people are worried about the future of America’s economy. Though all these ideas might make young people hesitant to spend, it seems that one type of purchase isn’t going anywhere — concert tickets.
In 2024, live music ticket spending was up to $9.5 billion, an increase from 2023, and almost double the spending pre-COVID-19. The Taylor Swift Eras Tour alone brought in over $2 billion, making it the highest earning tour in history and reaffirming the strength of her fanbase. While it is encouraging to see people return to live music post COVID-19, and bond with others in cultural spaces, concert and celebrity fan-base spending is out of control in more ways than one.
Just in the past few years, I have noticed that my peers have become more connected to celebrities than ever before. I am not the only one who is noticing. Psychologists have found that in the past few years, parasocial relationships with celebrities have become more commonplace among young people. This phenomenon is so recognizable that it even has a name, Celebrity Obsession Disorder or Celebrity Worship Syndrome.
The fact that this is an issue worthy of a name causes me extreme disappointment. It reveals a worrying lack of emotional intelligence and understanding of boundaries, especially in young people. Celebrity obsessions and parasocial relationships not only have a financial cost to the tune of thousands per person per year, but they also take a big toll on people’s real-life relationships. In 2019, researchers found that individuals with strong parasocial relationships with celebrities are more likely to report dissatisfaction in their relationships and fail to give adequate effort to their real romantic interests. Comparison is the thief of joy, and when the comparison is to a celebrity relationship full of designer and expensive gifts, there is certainly no joy that isn’t tainted by unrealistic expectations.
In addition to sewing difficulty into romantic relationships, celebrity worship and parasocial relationships reveal another alarming trend for young people — their inability to create and maintain boundaries. Multiple celebrities have complained recently about a lack of boundaries and mindfulness from their fans, so much so that it can put their mental and physical safety at risk. The expectations of celebrities from their fans are changing, and fans are seeking more and more contact with their favorite celebrities through social media. This shows that the lines are blurring between friend and fan, causing negative emotional consequences for both parties. How are we letting ourselves become obsessed to the point of harm?
Aside from the emotional consequences, recent studies have shown that there may be impacts on intelligence and cognitive aptitude. A 2021 study from Hungary showed that high levels of self-reported celebrity worship had a correlation to lower scores on cognitive ability tests with numbers and words. While the study cannot be considered explanatory or reveal the reason behind this phenomenon, it could suggest that people pre-occupied with celebrities and shallow media have not developed inference or critical thinking skills. It could also suggest that people drawn to fame, wealth and drama are not getting the intellectual stimulation that they need to expand their crystallized and fluid intelligence. Causation or not, it can’t be good for younger people to endlessly analyze other people’s PR-filtered relationships and drama, when they should be focusing on expanding their knowledge base and hard-skills.
These days, it is easy to get sucked into celebrity drama and celebrity worship. From Perez Hilton’s Instagram feed to flashy magazines in the store, sensational celebrity news is all around us and it can be all-consuming if you let it be. Especially for individuals who lack confidence in their intellectual or social abilities (despite their true ability), being a celebrity expert can be a way for them to feel valuable, because they can be exceptionally knowledgeable about something. It can be a way for them to replace loneliness in their relationships or a way to fill idle time that could be used elsewhere. But that’s just it. Not only does celebrity worship fill these gaps, but it ends up making them bigger. It pulls you away from meaningful friendships and romantic relationships, only further wearing down the confidence that was already lacking.
It is unhealthy to allow yourself to fall into a celebrity rabbit hole in which you analyze other people’s break-ups, lawsuits, mental health and relationships. When you find yourself doing this, ask yourself, “Why?” Are you learning something useful? Are you learning life lessons? Does it make you feel better about yourself? If all the answers are “no”, then it should be blatantly obvious that you should stop what you are doing. If any of your answers are “yes”, then I have a message that you probably don’t want to hear: You are actively choosing to miss out on distinctly human opportunities because of your celebrity addiction. You can do all these things and experience these benefits in real life, and in real life, you can do it better.