Imagine being part of a well-known television show or film series and loving the character you portray, along with the fans you have gained from it.

These fans support you in your blossoming acting career and you show your appreciation for them through social media posts and frequent appearances at events like comic-con in order to meet them.

Now, imagine a large portion of these same fans direct disappointed comments towards you, following your open support of a popular couple, either presented on the show or created by the fans.

A simple reblog was all it took and now you find yourself guilt tripped into appeasing other groups in your so called “fan base.”

Spending as much time on social media as I do, I am witness to an ungodly amount of annoying fan behavior.

For the most part, it’s fans interacting with each other, which is easy enough to roll my eyes at and ignore.

But occasionally I do come across threads of comments directed at the actors and creators of television, films, and popular novels that criticize their agency as an artist or individual.

The above is an actual example I came across, directed at one of my favorite actors.

It’s certainly not one of the worst cases of “fans” criticizing celebrities, but it does shed a light on how entitled these people feel when it comes to how actors promote their own work.

Most professionals simply shrug off the comments and continue with their work, but that is not something everyone is capable of doing. As viewers, we have no way of knowing what these public figures take away from negative fan interactions and how it could affect their work or personal life.

To illuminate the situation a bit more, the actor in question re-tweeted a poll that asked viewers to vote for their favorite television couple, encouraging fans to vote for the one her character was a part of.

Fans of a different couple her character was also a part of reacted with anger, claiming it was rude of her to not share the poll where their fictional couple was included.

The actor quickly apologized and said that she wasn’t aware of this poll, sharing the link in question not much later.

The thing is, she shouldn’t have had to apologize.

It’s not her job to know every single fan related creation associated with the show, nor is it necessary for any actor to spoon feed their fans everything they ask for.

They aren’t robots meant to repeat back whatever viewers want to hear and it’s unnerving how many people think otherwise.

The sooner people start treating these artists like human beings, the more comfortable they will be interacting with fans and being themselves in public.

Whether a hot-shot celebrity or a lesser known artist, it is entirely up to them how much they want to interact with their fan base.

I was surprised and rather impressed by how much this actor, previously discussed, interacted with her fans.

I have yet to hear of another who would go so much out of their way just to have an opportunity to meet face to face with those who support them and it’s not difficult to figure out why that is.

I’m aware of two actors from that same television show alone who were driven from their social media accounts just because of their interactions with “fans.”

One must wonder how many others have to severely limit themselves online, simply to preserve their sanity.

That is not to say that fan and celebrity interaction should stop by any means.

Social media is especially important for beginning artists to give them confidence of their talent and potential.

But viewers of every medium need to realize the impact they have, both negative and positive, on actors, writers, and musicians.

There are many people in these professions who struggle with mental health and it’s difficult enough for them to stand in such a spotlight without having to worry about pleasing all of their fans.

Believe it or not, they are people just like us and they deserve to be treated as such.

Go ahead and ask them questions about themselves or their work but don’t react negatively if they don’t respond the way you’d like them to.

They are entitled to their own opinion because, like each of their fans, they are an independent person with a mind of their own.

It’s also important to keep in mind that they have a job to keep, and they can’t just criticize certain aspects of their show even if they wanted to.

Similarly, if a show goes in a direction you don’t care for, don’t lash out at the writers.

Stop watching if needed and accept that different people have different visions of what a good plot is.

Writers have flaws too and can’t be expected to create a perfect story at every turn.

What fans need to start doing is celebrating the individuality of these artistic voices, just as they celebrate the individuality of their favorite characters represented on screen.

Pointing out every issue you have with a writer or actor won’t help anyone, it’s just rude.

The solution is quite simple: use social media to encourage artists, or don’t use it to interact with them at all.