Behind the flashing lights of the paparazzi, there is much more than an A-list, red carpet walking celebrity who seems to have the entire world in their hands. There is a human underneath the facade, who can feel real human emotions like no other. The dirtiest secrets and the untold truths, all spread by the press to social media which leads to uninvited visitors into their life behind closed doors. Social media users leave their snarky comments, their continuous subliminals, and their insulting jokes to celebrities, that someone they may know, may admire or look up to. The different point of views amongst a celebrity can lead to inevitable arguments between peers and worst case scenario, it can lead to an end of a friendship. Opinions are allowed to be brought into the world, but not at the sake of someone’s mental state, who’s at the forefront of the face of social media.

In the forefront of the rap community, there is Nicki Minaj, Cardi B, Megan thee Stallion, and the underground rappers that are not mainstream. With the ones who are the topic of the conversation in social media platforms such as, Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat, they are stereotypically compared to their ‘competition.’ For example, there has been an ongoing feud between Cardi B and Nicki Minaj, where they are compared to earn the title “Queen of Rap” by their fan base. The comparison is based on skills and that has affected their fans’ outlook on each other, just based on their simple opinion on who is a better artist. Fights and arguments have been engaged, just because of a biased preference. As for sophomore, Shaniya Bass, Nicki Minaj has been one of the many reasons that her friend group is selective.

“In my opinion, I prefer Nicki Minaj over Cardi B, because I admire her work ethic and the woman empowerment message that she conveys within her music. There are some people I know who prefer Cardi B and I’m not as close with them as others, because of our differences in taste. I think Cardi B is a good rapper, but I think she needs to accept that Nicki is better than her. Things I say like that get me and those Cardi B fans into a situational beef,” said Bass.

Cheating can be misunderstood in the public eye. A simple spread of a lie can be interpreted as being a backstabbing, lying, cheater. When a celebrity is caught doing what fans don’t approve of, social media allows them to take their opinions and run them to the ground. Regarding Zach Herron, who is apart of  the boy group of the ‘Why Don’t We’s’, was allegedly accused of cheating on his girlfriend. After the allegations went viral, he deactivated all of his social media accounts, because social media users were attacking him with insults. Later on, he reactivated his account and tweeted that people should not believe everything they hear. Sophomore, Kami Chaddick, justifies that there is always two sides of a story.

“The whole situation is a long story, but we only heard one side of the story and that is from the ex girlfriend. I have been following Zach Herron for quite some time now and I don’t believe that he would ever cheat on someone with malicious intentions. Also, the ex girlfriend admitted that she made that video, just for the publicity,” said Chaddick.

Death is a serious topic and should not be joked around with. However, in this day of age, where social media is a huge platform to spread bullying, death can be regarded as a joking matter for the sake of earning lots of likes and comments. But when the topic lands in the hands of a worldwide pop star and it’s used improperly, it causes a bunch of commotion. The story of JonBenét’s death dates back to 1996 and it has recently been brought back up in 2019 by the hands of pop star sensation, Ariana Grande. Joking around with her friends, she misinterpreted the context of the child’s death, quoting to her friend, “I can’t WAIT for this to be your halloween look.” With Ariana Grande being a role model to many such as sophomore, Ella Hernandez, Ariana Grande has righted her wrongs in her eyes. 

“She apologized on Twitter saying that she deleted the comment really quickly, because she knew that the comment was very inconsiderate and not acceptable at all. She got a lot of hate from it, but with what she has been through these past couple of years, I think that this is a mistake she can learn from,” said Hernandez

With all of the rumors, accusations, and allegations flying around, celebrities cannot catch a break and maintain composure on social media in the face of its power. Online users are so quick to assume and justify a celebrity’s actions without an explanation, because they are in the spotlight with everything they do being watched. Celebrities are humans just like the rest of us so they make mistakes, but with such popularity and success comes the paparazzi and the press who follow them around and stalk their every move. One mistake can be the biggest wrong for someone and that is what the press wants, this an act of bullying and manipulation. Instead of bullying a star online, encourage them to be better versions of themselves. Not only for the benefit of them, but for the benefit of their fans.