You have probably heard of Swifties, Beliebers, Directioners and Arianators. If your taste is a little more vintage, you may have heard of Beatlemania. But before any of those things came Byromania.

Byromania describes the fame of the 19th Century poet Lord Byron, who rose to stardom after publishing Childe Harold's Pilgrimage in 1812. The charismatic young writer received fan mail, sold merchandise, and even inspired some of the first fanfictionStories about existing characters or real celebrities, written by fans. .

Byron is sometimes described as the first celebrity. Now, celebrities are everywhere we look, and there are too many of them to count.

We have endless opportunities online for criticising celebrities who we feel have stepped out of line - even when it comes to something as seemingly innocent as changing their personal style.

Billie Eilish is the internet's latest pariahAn outcast. . Her crime? Discarding her signature style of oversized neon t-shirts and baggy knee-length shorts for lace, dresses, flowing skirts and corsets.

The 21-year-old singer took to Instagram in a "letter" to fans who criticised her new, more feminine style, saying "did you know that women are multifacetedHaving many sides.?", and labelling those calling her a sellout as "fools".

Some say this exemplifies the parasocial relationship - the perceived relationship between fans and the celebrities who do not know that they exist.

But others think it is not unreasonable to hold public figures to certain standards. It may be unfair to expect someone to always dress the same, but when it comes to your favourite artist sharing offensive views, it is understandable to feel disappointed.

Some think parasocial relationships have existed for all of recorded history - with gods, for example, or with rulers and monarchs. But never have they been as common as now.

With the rise of Hollywood, critics in the 1930s and 1940s were harsh in their critique of celebrity worship. Some even compared the idolatry and worship of famous film stars and models with the fascistFollowing fascism, a set of ideologies that advocates dictatorial power, political violence, suppression of opposition, traditional gender roles, and official racism. personality cults of Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini.

That kind of critique probably would not fly today. But with political apathyLack of interest or enthusiasm. and populism on the rise, some say we should start wondering whether our obsession with the details of celebrity lives is more sinister than it seems.

Yes: The level of obsession we have with celebrities has reached untenable levels. Young people in particular may be less likely to know where their real social lives end and their parasocial relationships begin.

No: Fan culture is the price of celebrity. Our brains are evolved to treat people we know well as friends, even if they do not know us. Celebrities just need to accept that they cannot have the best of both worlds.

Or... A lot of people simply do not understand that they are in a parasocial relationship. The key is helping people with media literacy and learning that they are not entitled to anything from someone they do not know.