Fervent fans keep faith with heroes even after ’immoral acts’

Screen shot from Logan Paul's controversial YouTube video filmed in Japan Credit: Logan Paul/YouTube Analysis of posts from thousands of social media users either side of a scandal - the dramatic fall of YouTube celebrity Logan Paul - shows how hard it is for us to -update our beliefs- about those we support, even when they behave in appalling ways. A threat to the standing of a public figure can be perceived by fans as a threat to their own self-identity - something we may feel compelled to defend Simone Schnall The more that people express admiration for a public figure, the more likely they are to forgive and defend them after a -moral violation-, according to a new study analysing the posts from 36,464 YouTube followers of a famous online prankster. The findings suggest that we -resist updating our beliefs- about those we publicly support - even when they commit acts that might appall us, say researchers. Psychologists from Cambridge University investigated fan reactions to online celebrity Logan Paul's videos before and after a notorious incident in which he filmed the dead body of a man in Japan's Aokigahara forest - tragically known as a -suicide site and shared it with his followers. In the video, Paul and friends make highly inappropriate jokes. At the time, the final day of 2017, he had over 15 million YouTube subscribers. The -suicide forest scandal- led to a major backlash against Paul and indeed YouTube, despite a public apology from him 48 hours later.