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Fans do more than follow celebrities. They defend them, imitate them, buy what they promote and sometimes feel personally betrayed by people they have never met or interacted with directly.
Joshua L. Williams, Ph.D., Professor and Chair of the Department of Criminal Justice & Criminology at Georgia Southern University, studies what drives these one-sided connections—and why celebrity admiration becomes much more intense, personal and emotionally consuming for some people than for others.
His research examines parasocial relationships, narcissism, emotional regulation, conspiratorial thinking, materialism and the sense of similarity fans may feel with a favourite celebrity. It offers a more informed way to understand modern “stan” culture without simply dismissing it as irrational, obsessive or harmless entertainment.
View and Connect with Dr. Williams Why Fans Feel They Know a Celebrity Social media gives fans an almost constant view into the lives of actors, musicians, athletes and influencers. That access can create the feeling of a personal relationship, even though the celebrity may not know the fan exists.
Williams studies the line between ordinary admiration and attachment that becomes more emotionally consuming. His work can help explain why fans become invested in celebrity relationships, why criticism of a favourite public figure can feel personal and why setting boundaries sometimes turns an audience against its idol.
In a recent study, Williams and his colleagues found associations among celebrity worship, vulnerable narcissism and commitment to parasocial relationships. The findings suggest that, for some people, the feeling of having a relationship with a celebrity may help make the attachment more powerful.
Featured Research Vulnerable Narcissism and Celebrity Worship: The Mediating and Moderating Role of Commitment to Parasocial Relationships Stories to Explore Why celebrity breakups feel personal to millions of strangers When setting boundaries turns fans against their idol Are parasocial relationships replacing real-world connections? When Fame Becomes a Source of Truth Celebrities now speak directly to enormous audiences about politics, health, science and social issues. Fans may already see them as authentic or trustworthy, making it harder to separate the message from the person delivering it.
Williams’ research examines celebrity worship alongside conspiratorial thinking, pseudoscientific beliefs and perceptions of authenticity. He can provide context on why fans sometimes defend unsupported claims, overlook contradictions or treat criticism of a celebrity as an attack on themselves.
One of his studies explored celebrity worship alongside authenticity, perceived “realness,” narcissism and conspiratorial ideation. The findings point to a complicated mix of personality, identity and belief rather than one simple explanation for celebrity attachment.
Featured Research Complex Correlates of Celebrity Worship: Authenticity, Conspiratorial Ideation, Narcissism and Realness Stories to Explore Why celebrity health claims can be so persuasive What happens when fact-checking collides with fandom? Can celebrity loyalty influence political beliefs? Why We Buy, Dress and Act Like the Famous Celebrity influence extends beyond opinions. Fans wear the clothes, buy the products and adopt the language, routines and appearance of the people they admire.
Williams has studied how celebrity worship relates to materialism, narcissism and perceived similarity with a favourite celebrity. His research found that feeling similar to a celebrity was associated with stronger celebrity worship, while certain forms of narcissism were associated with materialism.
The findings help explain why endorsements, merchandise and celebrity-inspired trends can feel personal rather than purely commercial.
Featured Research Celebrity Worship and Materialism: A Focus on Narcissism and Perceived Similarity With a Celebrity His collaborative research has also examined Dark Triad personality traits, emotional regulation and problematic celebrity attachment.
Stories to Explore Why fans want to look like their favourite celebrities Does feeling similar to a celebrity make us more loyal? Why celebrity merchandise feels like more than a purchase Looking Beyond “Obsessed Fans” Celebrity worship is often treated as either harmless entertainment or evidence that a fan has gone too far. Williams’ research shows there is a much wider and more interesting space between those extremes.
His work can help reporters examine why people become attached to public figures and how those connections can shape identity, beliefs, spending and decision-making.
For interviews about celebrity worship, one-sided relationships, fan behaviour or the psychology of celebrity influence, connect with Joshua L. Williams through his expert profile. All connections are monitored to ensure a timely response to your requests
Gretsch Collection Curator Matthew Hill, Ph.D., is accustomed to handling, researching and presenting iconic guitars and drums from the Fred and Dinah Gretsch Collection of Musical Instruments, offering insight into musical artifacts that have shaped contemporary culture. However, discovering a lost story of American Revolutionary history is a new development in his career at Georgia Southern University.
Hill had taken on a complex project, collecting and presenting information on the history of the American drumset through the analysis of French and American drums, when his friend and fellow curator, Christina Linsenmeyer, Ph.D., at Yale University’s Morris Steinert Collection of Musical Instruments brought to his attention an American Revolutionary War drum in Yale’s collection. Together, they discussed what might be learned through closer study of the instrument to better understand its place in American history.
“I removed the tensioning ropes and we saw that the inscription read ‘Benjamin Clark. Royalton, Mass. 1781’ and that immediately started ringing bells with me,” Hill said. “1781 was a super important year in the American Revolution as it was essentially the time the hostilities began to wind down before it officially ended in 1783.”
The drum originally came from the Belle Skinner collection of musical instruments in Massachusetts. Skinner, a wealthy heiress and philanthropist, acquired her extensive collection of instruments in the 1920s and 1930s and displayed them in a specially constructed arcaded gallery at her mansion, Wistariahurst. Yale would later obtain her collection in 1960, more than two decades after her death.
Until now, the true rarity and unusual nature of the drum had not yet been fully realized.
“There are very few authenticated American Revolutionary War drums,” Hill said. “Aaron Philips, our special collections curator, photographed the instrument, and Dr. Brent Tharp aided in the historical research of Benjamin Clark. And we found evidence of the person behind the name inscribed on the drum.”
Hill says Clark is the most noteworthy musician of the American Revolution. He can be placed at the major battles of Trenton and Saratoga and also likely participated in the Battle of Bunker Hill. However, Clark’s involvement in historic American combat isn’t the only fascinating aspect of the man’s life. He’s also important because he was one of two musicians who wrote down what the drumbeat cadences of the Revolutionary War sounded like.
“Clark’s drum book of 1797 is probably the most important,” Hill explained. “By way of writing his manuscript, Clark is one of the main sources for our understanding of Revolutionary War drumming. He is a significant figure, just on his own.”
American drum sets during this period focused heavily on practicality, according to Hill. However, Clark’s drum was highly decorated, which was very unusual and included a notable, highly recognizable American adage.
“‘E Pluribus Unum’ is written on the drum. It was an official American motto very early on,” Hill said. “But in 1781, it wasn’t that common and would not become more common until later. So this is a noteworthy prominent early use of ‘E Pluribus Unum.’”
Hill, alongside other curators at higher education institutions, is working to share this unique discovery with public audiences.
In order to best preserve and honor the legacy of the instrument and the drummer who carried it throughout America’s battle for independence, Hill reached out to the Massachusetts Historical Society so that Georgia Southern and Yale Universities can collaborate on a joint publication reproducing Clark’s manuscript, the drum itself and the music that would have carried soldiers across the battlefield. The first and only edition of Clark’s manuscript was privately produced in the 1970s.
More recently, Hill and Tharp also presented an essay on this drum at the American Musical Instrument Society’s conference in Vermillion, South Dakota, “A Different Drummer (and His Drum): Benjamin Clark’s Revolutionary War Drum of 1781 and His Drum Book of 1797.”
For Hill and fellow historians, this new discovery is not only interesting but also remarkable.
“It was like Howard Carter finding the tomb of King Tut, for me. I understood his excitement when I realized what an incredible artifact I had come across that had been so well-preserved from the American Revolution,” Hill said. “But what’s most exciting to me is what will come from all of this work and what we will contribute to the greater body of knowledge surrounding the development, implementation and history of the American drum.”
As the United States of America celebrates its 250th anniversary, scholars like Hill continue to unearth hidden artifacts that illuminate the origins of an enduring nation.
Want to talk to Dr. Hill about this discovery? Contact Georgia Southern's Chief Communications Officer Jennifer Wise at jwise@georgiasouthern.edu to arrange an interview.
Atlanta is one of the World Cup's biggest host cities. Georgia Southern faculty across economics, health sciences and international studies are ready to speak to the stories behind the tournament. Featured Topic The Atlanta Advantage: Regional Economics of Hosting the World Cup What it means for local businesses, tourism, and the long-term economic legacy of a host city Atlanta's World Cup moment is as much an economic story as a sporting one. Georgia Southern University economics professors Michael Toma, Ph.D., and Anthony Barilla, Ph.D., can speak to tourism revenue, infrastructure investment and what host cities actually gain — and manage —- when the world comes to town.
Experts Michael Toma, Ph.D. - Regional Economics and Development Anthony Barilla, Ph.D. - Economics and Public Policy Featured Topic Playing Across a Continent: The Physical Demands of a 48-Team Tournament What elite athletes face competing across climates, time zones and a month-long schedule 48 teams. Multiple cities. Almost no recovery time. Georgia Southern health sciences and kinesiology professor Samuel Wilson, Ph.D., and sports psychologist Brandonn Harris, Ph.D., can explain how a World Cup schedule affects the human body and how elite teams prepare for it.
Experts Samuel Wilson, Ph.D. - Health Sciences and Athletic Performance Brandonn Harris, Ph.D. - Kinesiology and Exercise Science Featured Topic More Than a Match: The World Cup as Cultural and Political Exchange How the world's biggest sporting event becomes a stage for diplomacy, identity, and soft power When 48 nations converge on American soil, the game is only part of the story. Political science and international studies expert Christopher M. Brown, Ph.D., can speak to the geopolitical dimensions — national identity, soft power and what it means for the U.S. to host global soccer for the first time in a generation.
Experts Christopher M. Brown, Ph.D. - Political Science and International Studies
