Editorial | We have become too entitled to information and celebrity interaction

Stalking is easier now than it has ever been before — for friends, for people you don’t know and for celebrities. Through social media, instant messaging services and apps like Life360, it is incredibly easy to triangulate where someone is at any given moment.

Last week, Chappell Roan called out her superfans for their “creepy” behavior — shouting at her and asking for hugs and pictures in the street, stalking her family and generally disallowing her any sense of privacy.

While the paparazzi has long been a problem for celebrities praying for a little peace and quiet, the information age has allowed anyone a bit too obsessed with a celebrity to track them down and demand a picture. A practice previously reserved for only the most nosy and boundary-ignorant photographers has opened its doors to the public.

This entitlement to photos and hugs and acknowledgement from celebrities is a symptom of several larger causes — most notably, our generation’s constant need for information.

Anyone can check their partner’s location whenever the desire strikes. Anyone can surprise someone they follow at the park because they posted a picture on their story. Anyone can ask their friend where they are right now and hear back in seconds. Frankly, it would be rude for them to say no.

The conversation Roan began about the creepy behavior of her superfans is not just about standard paparazzi annoyances, but fans doing what our current technology has allowed them to do — know everything about the people they like.

It’s a matter of personal restraint and redefining the way we interact with celebrities. Dealing with harassment should not be the norm. Roan is not soft or selfish for wanting the same privacy you would alot to a woman you see across the street.

It’s as she says — “I’m a random bitch. You’re a random bitch.” Though we have the facilities to find out far too much information about just about anyone, stalking is still stalking. Harassment is still harassment.

As we enter an age where locations, addresses and schedules move further into the public sphere, we must reconsider our dependent relationship with information and the way we treat the people we adore.