Yang was behind the desk on Saturday Night Live's 'Weekend Update' segment, dressed like Moo Deng, who at the time the show aired was the internet's current fave. What he was saying, though, sounded more like comments by pop star Chappell Roan, who'd recently taken to social media to ask fans to be more respectful about approaching her in public or saying inappropriate things to her online. 'Do not yell my name, or expect a photo, just because I'm your parasocial bestie, or because you appreciate my talent,' Yang said, encased in a rubbery Moo Deng costume. The bit was played for laughs, but in 2024, the actions of fans'to each other, to the people they're fans of, to the world at large'entered a whole new phase. More than half a century after John Lennon observed that the Beatles were more popular than Jesus, fandom, fueled by ever-churning social media platforms, has taken on a shape beyond religious furor. During the US election, it was evident in the manosphere and MAGA hats....
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