DashCon, a failed Tumblr convention in 2014, taught us a valuable lesson about the difficulty of translating the social media experience into the real world. Despite its mismanagement and low attendance, it became an enduring emblem of internet culture, with the ball pit of dissociation as its enduring symbol. The convention's founder, Lochlan O'Neil, learned how big of a gap there is between a dream and a functioning reality, but also made lasting friendships and connections through the event.
JoJo Siwa's ex-girlfriend Katie Mills called out the creator for using her "power" to publicly accuse exes of "clout chasing" in a TikTok video. Mills suggested that Siwa's idea for the duo to go to Hollywood Boulevard, Disneyland and a Lakers game together. Siwa has an enormous audience across social media with more than 11 million Instagram followers, over 45 million TikTok followers and 12 million subscribers on her YouTube channel. Studies have found that the more open a celebrity figure is on social media or in public, the stronger the parasocial bond between them and their fanbase becomes.
"Swarm" is a new Amazon Prime Video series that follows the story of a Houston-based fan named Dre, played by Dominique Fishback, who goes to increasingly violent lengths for her favorite R&B singer. The show takes on the most extreme case of obsessed fans and was inspired by facts and rumors surrounding Twitter fans and their online presence. The series was also inspired by Houston urban legends like Marissa Jackson, a fake Beyoncé fan who allegedly died by suicide when she heard that Jay-Z allegedly cheated on Beyoncé. All seven episodes are set to premiere on March 17 on Prime Video.
