Facebook & Celebrity Friends- Page 2

[orangeskittles]

Posted: 11/11/09 at 3:31pm

Eris, that's exactly the issue. They don't even have to add the fan before experiencing privacy breeches. Friend can post something on Actor's wall that sounds personal and the Facebook stalker fans realize Friend "really" knows Actor and start stalking Friend's Facebook as well for any sign of Actor.

The "easy" way is for anyone who is friends with anyone who currently is or may in the future become famous, change your Facebook privacy settings to friends only now, just in case.

[dramamama611]

Posted: 11/11/09 at 3:47pm

I NEVER accept "friend" requests from anyone that I don't personally know. Ever. That people ACTUALLY think these folks ARE your friends (not only celebrity friends) is frightening.

[Marianne2]

Posted: 11/11/09 at 4:13pm

This thread is making me laugh now from an experience today. I posted about it in the "Oh, Shut Up" thread on the off-topic board. Basically, a former friend is obsessed with some band, and is trying to find someone to drive her to meet them, when she already did, except for her favorite band member. She even said she was trying to find fans online from the area to do so. That is creepy and sad. It makes me glad that I have my drivers license and a car, and I'm also willing to take public transportation.

[winston89]

Posted: 11/11/09 at 4:33pm

dramamama611, I feel like it also has to do with mindset as well. There are people out there who are fans of a given Broadway performer and know that they use their facebook as a way to keep fans up to date with what is going on. Therefor, it wouldn't be wrong for a fan to "friend" them to be able to keep up to speed with what is going on with them carrier wise. However, someone is crossing the line, if they feel that just because the actor accepted their friend request it automatically makes them BFF's. It is that mindset that is scary and changes the kind of person we are talking about.

[orangeskittles]

Posted: 11/11/09 at 4:56pm

dramamama, it's not even that the fans think they're actually friends with the actor. It's the fact that by friending them on Facebook, that gives the fan access to their personal lives. Every status update, everyone they friend, every note and picture they're tagged on pops up daily. Fans can search through an actor's family vacation pictures that Cousin Suzy posted if both the actor and Cousin Suzy haven't both pre-emptively taken privacy precautions.

[musicalsFan]

Posted: 11/11/09 at 5:43pm

Originally, there was the website, but that wasn't good enough anymore. Besides, they will cost you money and time to set up and maintain.

Enter Myspace, Facebook, Twitter. Wow! Free! What can be better than that?

As these performers are learning, there are consequences to these social networking sites.


Updated On: 11/11/09 at 05:43 PM

[winston89]

Posted: 11/11/09 at 5:51pm

I am sure that the actors are aware of the pros and cons of setting up a facebook account for all to see. However, I do agree with musicalsfan, that it is far more cheaper and easier to just update your facebook status then it is to have to pay someone to update your website.

I know that there are actors out there who have two facebook accounts. One that is strictly personal and one that is used for fans to have access to.

I know that if I were a Broadway actor I would most likely prefer to use Facebook as a way of updating fans about what is going on rather then having to spend the money and have to pay someone to do that which I can do myself for free via a different method. But, that is just me.

[Kad]

Posted: 11/11/09 at 5:56pm

Some actors have social networking sites so they can, you know... communicate with their friends and stuff. Like the common folk do.

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 11/11/09 at 6:10pm

And they should be entitled to do so without being bothered by people who assume they want their fans all over the place! They shouldn't be forced NOT to communicate with their friends just as any "regular" person does just because there are people out there who don't know where to draw the line. I think, though, some performers are also more responsible for this kind of behavior than a lot of people are willing to acknowledge. If they encourage it in any one of various ways, they are in part responsible. If they welcome it, it's going to continue happen. People who seek attention are going to take the signs to come closer.

[musicalsFan]

Posted: 11/11/09 at 6:28pm

They shouldn't be forced NOT to communicate with their friends just as any "regular" person does just because there are people out there who don't know where to draw the line.

The problem is when a Facebook account is used for both friend friend and fans.

We cannot always forsee unintended consequences.

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 11/11/09 at 6:32pm

Oh, I agree! And I think a lot of the damage was done before this could have been foreseen. That was more of a "fans should have discretion" remark.

Updated On: 11/11/09 at 06:32 PM