Eminem's Stan was an inventive approach to storytelling that brought the idea of realistic toxic parasocial relationships to the forefront of popular culture long before it became the common talk of today (see: Stan Culture). Even more importantly Stan highlights the power of media and the ways in which its rapid change has caused us to disconnect from some of the messages and underlying tones of the story.
First we should acknowledge the significance of being a superfan as Stan is at a time where letter-writing is the primary form of communication with a celebrity. Knowing things about Eminem to a personal level and following all of his music was not as easy as social media following, article searching, and YouTube watching as it is today. Being a superfan in a more analog era required a great deal of work such as buying magazines, physical albums, finding merchandise physically at stores, etc.
Stan primarily has been trying to communicate with Eminem through his letters to him, which have obviously not been reciprocated. Many fans of artists that are considered celebrities of "contemporary mainstream culture" haven't sent letters in their entires lives, don't know how to do so, and have never waited for a letter that didn't have an expected date. Celebrity interaction now is driven through social media and emails bringing a completely different understanding of what it means to follow and try to contact a celebrity. Both letters and digital communication bring a form of ambiguity about whether or not your message is actually reaching the artist (as opposed to some poor intern or secretary), but one is at least instantaneous.
With this understanding of the song's media in mind, it's interesting to think about what today's version of Stan would look like. Things that are known in the song aren't considered extreme knowledge or devotion at all by today's standards. Stan knowing all of Eminem's songs from first drop to today's songs, his family history, and other details is bare minimum to be considered a real Stan today. Would today's Stan be the social media stalkers that actively follow each celebrity's locations? Maybe the ones who go to extreme lengths to attack others on social media through doxxing and threats?
Finally it's curious to think about how many Stans have been around even back when this song came out. This was unprecedented and shocking in the time it was presented, but now it's an unsurprising coincidence due to the relative commonality of it. Once again it's important to consider whether this is another effect of today's media and our ability to see the interactions of anonymous users.
