Celebrity worship syndrome and your interest in Gaga

[Bebe 16,562]

Just now, Katie14 said:

I could never tell anybody. Im afraid to even tell my parents that I am going to buy Joanne Ball tickets for fear they will somehow speculate that I am obsessed. Its really ridiculous and I need to get over that. I have always had that problem of having difficulty sharing interests that I have a deep connection to and I can't seem to change it.

People have their sports teams that they check up on, Facebook, tv shows, ect. So I guess checking up on Gaga is not that different. It just feels weirder because its an individual person I guess, so it makes me feel stalkerish. I also think being obsessed over a celebrity is more addicting because you never know when new material will surface. I remember learning about how either interval or ratio rewards in Psychology is the most addicting because its unpredictable when the "reward" will come. You have to keep checking over and over again. Its the reason why slot machines are so addictive. 

I get that, like I wouldn't tell my mum (single parent household) that I'm a huge Gaga fan - She knows I like her music, but she doesn't know I'm a member on GGD let alone a moderator

Only a year ago I would have been like you, I would have said I'd never tell anyone, but I think something becomes more 'shameful' and worsens when it is a secret, when it becomes something that you just can't tell anyone. It's something that stews inside you and makes you feel guilty.

I haven't told everyone, I don't tell strangers and I haven't told my Mum, but I'd recommend at least mentioning it to someone. It only has to be mentioned in a casual way like "Oh, I heard this news story on gagadaily - this forum I'm on - about Trump doing this!" they will probably feel like it's out of the blue if you haven't shared that you are a Gaga fan, but you can always play it off like "lol it's a bit embarrassing, but I actually am kinda a fan she is pretty cool - it's just a good place to check to see when there is new music and stuff out."

I think that's a problem we both have  I've also always had difficulty sharing interests that I have a deep connection to - or being super open in general IRL. I've shared with a couple of people IRL that I'm a moderator on GGD so it's become less of a deep dark secret for me, but I'm not comfortable telling everyone. 

I think it does help though - don't let it be this deep, dark, horrible secret - otherwise of course it's going to seem shameful, abnormal and obsessive.

I also wonder, if part of it is a bit of internalised homophobia - or at least worry over what people will think due to fears about discrimination/rejection and stuff based on my sexuality. Gaga is clearly a very LGBT friendly artist. I wonder if I'd be as embarrassed if I was a huge metallica fan telling people I was a huge fan and that I'm a moderator on a metallica website  It's hard to know.

[Kermit the frog 1,761]

11 hours ago, Katie14 said:

What do you mean hard to trust? Hard to trust that she had our best interest at heart?

Yes, exactly. She's ditched that right away after the album cycle ended. 

[Killa 14,409]

yes i also started getting obssessed with Gaga as an escape route for a not so pleasing reality

many of us suffer from a serious to lowkey serious obssession, and it's not that healthy. I'm happy you have clarity about this.

It's so easy to focus your attention on someone else's life and success. For me Gaga represented that artist that always envisioned i'd become. It was very painful seeing her failling miserably with ARTPOP

 

[VTV 10,790]

 

ive been waiting for this thread for a long time

 

[Katie14 4,828]

1 hour ago, Slave Blonde said:

 

ive been waiting for this thread for a long time

 

So why didn't you make it?

[VTV 10,790]

23 minutes ago, Katie14 said:

So why didn't you make it?

because its a touchy subject and im not always online to respond to posts

 

[Katie14 4,828]

10 hours ago, Bebe said:

I get that, like I wouldn't tell my mum (single parent household) that I'm a huge Gaga fan - She knows I like her music, but she doesn't know I'm a member on GGD let alone a moderator

Only a year ago I would have been like you, I would have said I'd never tell anyone, but I think something becomes more 'shameful' and worsens when it is a secret, when it becomes something that you just can't tell anyone. It's something that stews inside you and makes you feel guilty.

I haven't told everyone, I don't tell strangers and I haven't told my Mum, but I'd recommend at least mentioning it to someone. It only has to be mentioned in a casual way like "Oh, I heard this news story on gagadaily - this forum I'm on - about Trump doing this!" they will probably feel like it's out of the blue if you haven't shared that you are a Gaga fan, but you can always play it off like "lol it's a bit embarrassing, but I actually am kinda a fan she is pretty cool - it's just a good place to check to see when there is new music and stuff out."

I think that's a problem we both have  I've also always had difficulty sharing interests that I have a deep connection to - or being super open in general IRL. I've shared with a couple of people IRL that I'm a moderator on GGD so it's become less of a deep dark secret for me, but I'm not comfortable telling everyone. 

I think it does help though - don't let it be this deep, dark, horrible secret - otherwise of course it's going to seem shameful, abnormal and obsessive.

I also wonder, if part of it is a bit of internalised homophobia - or at least worry over what people will think due to fears about discrimination/rejection and stuff based on my sexuality. Gaga is clearly a very LGBT friendly artist. I wonder if I'd be as embarrassed if I was a huge metallica fan telling people I was a huge fan and that I'm a moderator on a metallica website  It's hard to know.

You are absolutely right but I literally just cannot do it. I feel like my friends would be weirded out and wouldn't understand. I mean, I am weirded out by it so I can't imagine what other people would think. Id also be worried that they would try to figure out which member I am  I post some personal stuff on here sometimes, like this thread. Im more personal on here than I am in real life a lot of the time.

About the internalized homophobia, I think thats interesting. Many people do associate Gaga with unconventional sexualities and there are still many people who don't understand or agree with not being straight. Saying you are a Gaga fan is basically confirming that you either are part of the LGBTQ community or agree with it. 

[djBuffoon 11,640]

I love Gaga's talent, her humanity, her work ethic, her kindness. Those aspects I'll never tire of. But beyond that, I certainly don't think about what she eats, what she's doing at the moment, etc. 

But on top of that, I don't care about things that are out of her control, like sales or radio spins. Which is why it's frustrating that stan culture has gotten to the point where that's all anyone's argument revolves around, critical thinking be damned. But I digress.

[prince 4,688]

20 hours ago, Katie14 said:

This sounds really interesting! Are you going to make it known in your paper that you are one of those fans?

No i'm not! I can't write in first person so I couldn't really mention myself anyway but also I feel like if the writing comes from a place that is an outside view/perspective it might make it easier to write. It is odd when I talk about obsessive Gaga fans from an outside perspective when inside I'm one of them. 

18 hours ago, OMonster said:

That sounds so, so interesting. Such a cool topic for a dissertation. 

I guess the promotion of fashion directly links to this from a lot of angles. If a celebrity wears or promotes a certain piece for example, the people 'suffering' with this 'syndrome' are more likely to buy it ect, ect.

It's also kind of cool to just use this as an example of how attached and invested people can become to things... is it all just a product of good marketing? Is fan connection (and the commercial value this brings) just a product of business?

  Reveal hidden contents

Personally, I don't think that is the case with Gaga. I do believe there is a genuine connection their between her and the fans (or maybe I have this problem too, idk). But with other artists, their own marketing and clever promotion I think creates a fabricated connection solely for commercial gain. 

Really thought provoking Thanks for sharing! 

The promotion links SO much, it's mad how companies just use a celebrity because they know their audience is so obsessed that they'd buy a product they promote. Gagas an interesting one because I personally believe that she has a connection to fans and those fans do connect with her so if she promotes a product those fans might buy it even if that isn't her intention. With Kim Kardashian it's interesting because she is the product and she uses herself and her promotes her lifestyle to sell things to her fans that benefit her and she knows she's doing that and to be honest the fans know she's doing that as well!

[Katie14 4,828]

13 hours ago, Kermit the frog said:

Yes, exactly. She's ditched that right away after the album cycle ended. 

I wouldn't say she ditched it. She just became less involved. I don't even know how to explain this. I don't fully remember how she used to act during BTW. But i definitely don't think she faked the idea of a fan connection to market her material. 

[PartySick 134,345]

I do believe this affects me

But I don't get sad when she doesn't chart big or anything since chart success means nothing to me  if the music's good, I'm happy. And when it comes to Gaga, the music is always good

[pink sushi 4,351]

I think this effects most of the people on here to some extent. We all deal with issues such as depression and anxiety at some point in our lives. I don't see anything wrong with using a celebrity obsession to deal with issues like this. If closely following a celebrity makes you happy, then go for it. As long as it's not negatively effecting other aspects of your life, such as school, work, or relationships, then it's perfectly fine. It's a lot better than using alcohol and drugs to cope, which is what most people do....

[pink sushi 4,351]

On 1/21/2017 at 9:25 PM, Katie14 said:

I definitely check this site and the Gaga thread on Popjustice a lot, like whenever I get a spare chance between classes, waiting for the subway, on line, ect. Checking Gagadaily is on the forefront of my mid when I have free time. Its the last thing I do before going to sleep and the first thing I do when I wake up. Gaga related sites are the only social media that I participate in. I feel almost creepy in a way and I think the shame of it all is worse than what im actually doing. If anyone found out, I would be completely devastated. I wonder if its as weird as I think it is but I can never gain a realistic perspective because I would never tell anyone about all this  Does anyone in your life know about your online Gagadaily life?

Why do you not participate in any other social media? I always find it a bit strange when I hear of a young person not using any social media.  It has become such a huge aspect of peoples lives and a way for people to make new friends and connect better with those around them. I feel like if someone were to not use any social media, they would have to have an extremely active social life to make up for the lack of social interaction they are getting online. 

[Kermit the frog 1,761]

11 hours ago, pink sushi said:

I think this effects most of the people on here to some extent. We all deal with issues such as depression and anxiety at some point in our lives. I don't see anything wrong with using a celebrity obsession to deal with issues like this. If closely following a celebrity makes you happy, then go for it. As long as it's not negatively effecting other aspects of your life, such as school, work, or relationships, then it's perfectly fine. It's a lot better than using alcohol and drugs to cope, which is what most people do....

Of course it's better than resorting to alcohol, but on the other hand it's harmful, because you create this illusion of success, that's not even yours. You live a successful life vicariously through your idol, with such side-effects that you don't develop yourself.