Recently, hackers released an archive of private photos of Apple users to the public. Among them were candid selfies that belonged to celebrities. Many reacted to the victims of hackers with sympathy. Others issued a harsh verdict: “They themselves are to blame.” But why do we even care about them? Where does the desire to condemn and justify people we do not know come from?
Among the victims are stars of the first magnitude: actresses Jennifer Lawrence, Kirsten Dunst, singer Victoria Justice, model Kate Upton and others. We admire their playing, listen to songs dozens of times, wait for the next issue of our favorite magazine with their photo. And in an instant, they were in the position of a teenager who was caught by his parents watching adult videos. More than half of the commentators really took on the role of wise adults, rushing to ridicule and teach careless stars. Psychologists say that our reaction to mistakes and simply delicate situations involving our favorite stars is a reflection of our own fears and desires.
They deserve it
The need for a holistic perception of oneself and the world is one of the most important in life. We feel uncomfortable when we cannot explain to ourselves the logic of the events taking place. In many cultures, with the help of myths, fairy tales, religious precepts, the idea of a higher order is affirmed, in accordance with which the world is arranged. We want to believe that positive deeds will be rewarded, and mistakes and vices will be punished. Psychologist Melvin Lerner drew attention to this phenomenon back in the 80s, calling it the “phenomenon of a just world.” Lerner observed that our need for ultimate justice is so strong that it overshadows elementary logic. Often we are quick to blame the victim for her own misfortune*. “The accusation of indiscretion that many commentators have leveled at celebrities stems from the belief that success comes at a price. If you are famous, rich, your career is going well – “justice” requires that you make your sacrifice, ”explains psychologist Travis Langley (Travis Langley).
They embody our secret desires
When we condemn the “shameful” actions of public people, we seem to reward ourselves for not doing it ourselves, media psychologist Graham Jones explains: and aspirations pushed into the area of the unconscious. However, our “Super-I”, expressing the functions of social control, requires condemnation of behavior that is unacceptable to him. Therefore, while ridiculing or criticizing the antics of the stars, we at the same time feel a secret pleasure: we were able to survive the “forbidden” feelings and remain without punishment. Our satisfaction is, in fact, a sense of relief that someone else took the brunt.”
They give us a chance to go beyond
The life of public people gives us the opportunity to observe situations that could happen to us from a safe distance. We see on someone else’s example, “how it happens” when your private life is in the public domain. We can get not only the experience – albeit someone else’s – of experiencing such situations, but also an indication of how to act in such a situation. “We have an authority figure who is able, through his actions, to give us permission to experience our own humiliations and failures,” says Graham Jones. “If this happened to Jen (Jennifer Lawrence), then it’s not so scary.” Interestingly, some users (among them even colleagues) organized a flash mob of support by posting their own nude photos. “Such an unusual action may speak of our own accounts with public morality. In order to decide to challenge your fears, you need an inspiring example. We need a martyr who is ready to bear the brunt of the first step. Someone has to get on the cross to let others live,” says Graham Jones.
* Melvin Lerner, The belief in a just world: A fundamental delusion (New York, 1980).