Power and Parasociality: An Analysis of the ‘John Green Tumblr Incident’

In the late 2000s and early 2010s, YA author John Green moved beyond the more traditional, one-sided relationship between celebrity and fan via his online presence in spaces such as Tumblr and YouTube. Tensions arose, however, when Green was criticised by a Tumblr user regarding both his presence in this online space and his engagement with fans, who were assumed to be predominantly young and female. Green’s response invited unprecedented levels of attention and discourse, and the event became known as the ‘John Green Tumblr Incident’ (JGTI), leading to debates regarding the ethics of publicly criticising celebrities, parasocial relationships, and the silencing of the young female fan by those with more structural power. Using a theoretical foundation that draws on celebrity and cultural studies, I bring the JGTI into conversation within YA Studies for the first time. I examine how Green’s celebrity status across YA literature, media and culture intersected with his presence in the supposedly ‘civilian’ space of Tumblr, ultimately complicating users’ ability to freely criticise and express discomfort regarding his engagement with fans. This was further complicated by the assumed young, female status of the Tumblr user, which allowed for legitimate criticism to be simultaneously dismissed as adolescent hysteria and overreaction and presented as dangerous false accusations of sexual misconduct. In doing so, I argue that the JGTI uncovered, and ultimately reproduced, contemporary discourse regarding the adolescent female figure as both problematic and problematised, as dangerous and in danger.