Smells like team spirit

Storm coming? Turn on the fans. On social media, fandom now runs so deep, wields so much power, it can make or break a celebrity. See how loyalists steer the show 

- Karishma Kuenzang

In February this year, serious drama erupted between Hailey Bieber (wife of Justin Bieber) and Selena Gomez (ex of Justin Bieber). Hailey Bieber posted, then quickly deleted, a Tik Tok that was misinterpreted as bodyshaming Gomez. In turn, Gomez fans mobilised, scrutinising Bieber’s entire social-media history, blowing innocuous posts out of proportion, interpreting them as snide jabs aimed at Gomez. Bieber fans hit back with accusations of their own. Both armies posted Reels full of “evidence, you guys!” to support their theories. Kylie Jenner was caught in the crossfire. Bieber lost over 1 million Instagram followers in the aftermath. Gomez had to plead with her TikTok followers to not send Hailey threats. Things calmed down only in June.

Who’d imagine there’d come a time when celebrities would have to step in and broker peace among their fans? SRK didn’t do it at the peak of his rivalry with Salman Khan. AR Rahman has never had to worry about music enthusiasts getting out of control. But over the past decade, fan groups have come to hold enormous amounts of power. They mobilise on social media, post every update, quash every rumour, wield loyalties like badges of honour, negotiate with their idols for attention, even spark feuds.

That kind of loyalty even fuels the entertainment business, says Tusharr Kumar, COO of OML. “Fan communities help keep the conversion about a celebrity going. They’re also the first to stand up for them,” he says. “Collectively, they can sway opinion and sentiment in a significant way.” No wonder celebrities go all out to keep them happy.