One Direction split: how serious is the angst?

The 'conscious ungrouping' of 1D causes real suffering for fans, but it's all part of the life cycle

One Direction
(Image credit: Stephen Lovekin/Getty)

As tween fans of boy band One Direction went into mourning yesterday, following the news that the band will 'take a break' in 2016, some commentators pondered the question of how seriously we should take the wave of angst sweeping social media and to an extent, real life.

One Direction members tried to dispel rumours that they were breaking up, using Twitter to clarify that, contrary to speculation, they are not splitting, just taking a well-earned hiatus. But that didn't stop the upwelling of grief and despair from many fans, who expressed their pain on social media.

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