Dr. Simone Driessen shares her expert-vision on 'fans' in an article of the magazine. It covers, for example, what it means to be a 'fan'. Fans scream, ask for autographs, and even sleep in front of the arena. It seems as if there are no boundaries for fans. They go through all of this for a celebrity that they do not actually know. However, that is not how they see it.
Driessen explains that it is the music of an artist that attracts people first but for young people becoming an actual fan is a way of showing who they are. Moreover, fandom is also a fans’ first romance, they project their feelings onto a celebrity and is part of discovering yourself. A certain relationship between the idol and fan develops; this is called ‘parasocial interaction’. The idol does not know the fan but it still feels like a relationship is built. To the fan it feels like there is a real friendship or romance present.
The article explains that being a fan also allows you to make actual friends. Fandom is about experiencing events together, it gives the fans the idea that they belong. This social aspect explains partly the extravagant behavior that the fans show. When fans are together they scream louder to show their idol, but also to each other, that they are taking this seriously.
If you are interested in reading the full article, you can find it here.