The concept of "stans" is already an old term coined by Eminem, an American rapper in early 2000s, which means "stalker" and "fan". Originally, people who were "stans" are those who manifested obsessive behavior over their idols, but as time goes by, this word was also used by those fans who don't really stalk their celebrity idols. Because of the emergence of social media, it is easy for these entertainers to reach their target audience, particularly K-pop idols. Many fans call themselves "k-pop stans" and refuse to call themselves stalkers but rather people who are slightly more invested than an average fan. But what exactly makes stan culture perilous?

According to Valsote, a researcher, stans could possibly develop parasocial relationships with their idols, and this is exactly what makes stan culture unhealthy. According to the National Register of Health Services Psychologists, a parasocial connection is a one-sided relationship that develops when one partner extends energy, attention, and time without the other person being aware of it. Valsote  added that as much as a person enjoys the content and entertainment that the idols give to fans, the more that the fan could become attached to that celebrity. Some of them even cross the line, invade their idol's privacy and harm them both physically and emotionally. And when a fan has already created an intimate, one-sided relationship with an idol, there is a very high chance they could exhibit addictive tendencies or stalking behavior towards these idols. Let us have a deeper understanding of what a parasocial relationship could do to a fan's life as well as to their idols.

As indicated in a  peer and medically reviewed study by Lauren Martin, when parasocial relationships replace real-world interaction and relationships, they might disrupt a person's everyday life or other relationships. They can feel loneliness, anxiety, and social isolation, especially if social media are involved. The unilateral character of parasocial connections may eventually become unsatisfying and work as a distraction from a person's life. For instance, a person anticipates a concert where his idols will perform. That particular fan will feel very happy because they will get to see their idols. But then a problem arose; that fan wasn't able to get a concert ticket. That fan is really eager to go to his idol's concert, so he is willing to do everything and he will ruthlessly resort to illegal actions just for him to be able to get that concert ticket. This is already a negative and unhealthy effect of parasocial relationships, but there were worse scenarios than this example. 

Recently, a k-pop girl group member from Twice named Nayeon, was harassed by her German stalker. Her stalker frequently sends her messages on social media, and worse, even goes to her neighborhood asking people to help him find Nayeon's apartment building. This fan's harmful stalking behavior drew heavy criticism on social media, and even resulted in warnings from Nayeon's entertainment agency. This action causes the idol to feel anxious and uncomfortable, because that fan follows her everywhere and even creates major disturbance in their flights. But if  you think this is the worst stalking behavior that has ever happened in the K-pop industry, then you're mistaken.

Stalking and online bullying by these stans even caused some K-pop idols to commit suicide. Sulli of the Korean pop girl group F(x) is one of these idols. The girl group member was extremely harassed by her obsessed fans, and some of them even bullied her online. She felt really depressed to the extent that she wants to end her own life. . Sulli was seen crying in her last Live Session, where most anti-fans and even some of her abusive fans called her offending names that pushed her to the pit. 

It is evident that stan culture is really harmful to both fans and idols. Fans who are overly attached to their idols will feel sadness and loneliness once they feel unsatisfied, angry, or mad  with activities related to their idols. On the other hand, idols are also severely affected because they lose their privacy.  The main culprit is parasocial relationships, and it should not replace the reality that an idol and a fan have two different worlds. 

People must "stan" in moderation. Anything that exceeds average fan behavior is harmful. Make your idols an inspiration rather than a distraction. Respect their personal lives, they're humans too, and take care of your mental health as well. It is not bad to idolize a person, but addiction and obsession is a whole different story.