The bloom is off Gypsy Rose Blanchard for ‘fans’
Gypsy Rose Blanchard had an entourage of fans willing to bulldoze online haters weeks before she was released from prison. That fierce admiration continued after Blanchard’s release, earning her 18 million social media followers in days and dozens of media interviews in weeks.
A month later, however, many of those same admirers have turned against her, sending Blanchard’s stardom crashing down just as it was rising.
In 2016, Blanchard pleaded guilty to second-degree murder for conspiring with her then-boyfriend Nicholas Godejohn to kill her mother, who allegedly suffered from Munchausen syndrome by proxy, a mental illness in which a caretaker fakes or causes real symptoms to make a child seem sick.
Blanchard’s story had all the disturbing elements that fascinate the true crime obsessed – abuse, manipulation, captivity, murder. But now that she is free and most questions are answered, some followers are desperate for further developments in her story – and they’re turning to social media with outlandish theories and criticisms, looking to infuse more drama where perhaps none exists.
There are videos dissecting the way Blanchard squeezed her husband’s arm during an interview and investigating when her voice becomes more highpitched; there are others digging into her marriage and comparing her to her mother.
Although other court cases have spawned similar social media frenzies (think Jeffrey Dahmer and Casey An-* thony), experts say that Blanchard’s quick rise and fall showcases the complexities of accidental, and perhaps opportunistic, celebrity that fans initially admire but ultimately resent.
“I’m not at all surprised that some are starting to turn against Gypsy; it was just a matter of time until the pendulum started to swing the other way,” said David Schmid, an associate professor of English at the University at Buffalo who studies Americans’ obsession with murder and crime. “This case is a perfect example of what dominates social media activity: an endless repeating cycle of controversy, outrage and our sacred right to say whatever we want about whoever we want with no consequences.”
“Once we’ve chewed her up and spat her out,” Schmid continued, “we’ll move to someone else and so it goes on, ad nauseam, at a pace dictated by our evershrinking attention span.”
Blanchard’s fame is unsettling
Shortly after Blanchard’s release from prison, people grew tired of the endless media interviews promoting her documentary and memoir flooding their social media feeds. They grew uncomfortable, too, as Blanchard instantly earned “influencer” status despite being involved in a heinous crime, which many fans-turned-haters don’t believe she’s taking enough or proper responsibility for.
“While we have an innate cognitive bias that makes us forgiving when bad things are done for the ‘right’ reasons,” said media psychologist Pamela Rutledge, “that same subjective morality means we expect the person who received our grace to behave with humility and regret.”
It’s emotionally conflicting to watch a former prisoner become famous and make money, Rutledge said, because it’s hard to be sympathetic and envious at the same time. That may be why people prefer to believe that Blanchard is hiding something and more mysteries are waiting to be solved.
“Our brains are innately curious as a survival instinct. Finding answers, however specious, creates a dopamine reward, while connecting with other ‘detectives,’ sharing theories and being validated increases oxytocin, and our sense of belonging,” Rutledge said. “It makes us feel like we matter.”
Online trolling is contagious, and can be addictive
If an opportunity for virality arises, history shows that most people will take it at any cost. Blanchard’s story is just one example.
“Celebrity media thrive on presenting simultaneous constructions of celebrities as heroes, villains, victims and victors to provoke polarizing responses on social media platforms,” said Melvin Williams, an associate professor of communication and media studies at Pace University. “Gypsy Rose is not absolved from this trend, as the same social media users who created her postincarceration, viral celebrity status are now ready to interrogate her past and present actions/gestures.”
Because the internet offers some degree of anonymity, there’s a “feel and post” cycle that occurs with little regard for its impact on others, Rutledge said. These unfiltered opinions can have detrimental impacts on those they target. And in extreme cases, this type of “trolling can become addictive,” she said.
“When someone finds causing harm to be funny or amusing, they also feel a reward in the pleasure pathways,” Rutledge said. “Similarly, if someone feels manipulated by Gypsy or that she is undeserving, they might take pleasure in attacking to compensate for their envy, guilt or sense of humiliation.”
It’s a reality now that practically anything can go viral and bring massive amounts of unwanted attention your way.
If you ever find yourself in such a scenario, “don’t invest too much in the feedback you get from people who don’t actually know you,” Rutledge said. Why? Because “we love a redemption story, but we’re all too ready to pull someone back down to earth if they get too much glory.”