Continuing our series on a year of lockdown viewing, we explore how
Social Media has brought comfort to fans of
British television – and offered an alternative to gossip
A cursory scroll through the Explore page on
Instagram can feel like a visual assault: sponsored content, taunting influencer pictures and cute pets all vying for your attention through algorithmic targeting. As you work your way through the social media platform’s recommendations, you are also likely to encounter another constant: celebrity fan accounts.
The fan account has long been a fixture of celebrity culture, as the focus has moved away from tabloid newspapers to blogs and fansites, and from there to social media. From the now-closed Instagram page @beyhive, which had 1.2 million followers thanks to its regular
Beyoncé updates, to the myriad Harry Styles fan accounts on the platform, and the gossipy shots of Ana de Armas Updates, these pages keep their many followers informed with daily repurposing of their favourite celebrities’ images and content. It is a fandom largely made by fans, for fans.