I am reading Chris Hayes book, The Sirens' Call, and there is a passage that encapsulates a feeling I have being a fan to someone:
The Star and the Fan. The Star seeks recognition from the Fan, bu the fan is a stranger, who cannot be known by the Star. Because the Star cannot recognize the Fan, the Fan's recognition of the Star doesn't satisfy the core existential desire. There is no way to bridge the inherent asymmetry of. the relationship, short of actual friendship and correspondence, but that, of course, cannot be undertaken at the same scale. And so the Star seeks recognition and gets, instead, attention
At the very heart of celebrity's relationship to a fan is this lopsided, one way street: the fan knows a lot about the celebrity but the celebrity doesn't know much about the fan. This need to be recognized, to be understood, and to be seen is deep. It's why ultimately the relationship can be characterized as artificial, unsatisfying, shallow, and ephemeral.
I'm personally deeply uncomfortable with meeting any of the people I admire. I am keenly aware of the power asymmetry. Whenever I meet a new person, I try really hard to get to know a person at their core. I can't stand shallow small talk. I get bored very quickly and move on.
What is a fan's small interaction with a famous person but a version of shallow small talk.