Parasocial Relationships: The Nature

of Celebrity Fascinations
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Parasocial relationships are one-sided relationships, where one person
extends emotional energy, interest and time, and the other party, the persona,
is completely unaware of the other’s existence. Parasocial relationships are
most common with celebrities, organizations (such as sports teams) or
television stars.
Parasocial relationships expand the social network in a way that negates the
chance of rejection and empowers individuals to model and identify with
individuals of their choosing who naturally elicit an empathic response. For
some, the one sided nature of the relationship is a relief from strained
complementary relationships in their real life. Parasocial relationships are
cultivated by the media to resemble face-to-face relationships. Over time, so
many experiences are shared with John Daily or Justin Beiber or Jay-Z that we
develop an intimacy and friendship with the ‘media user’ and feel that they
know and understand us.
In the past, parasocial relationships occurred predominantly with television
personas. Now, these relationships also occur between individuals and their
favorite bloggers, social media users, and gamers. The nature and intimacy of
parasocial relationships has also matured. Reality television allows viewers to
share the most intimate and personal lives of television personas, and
celebrities openly share their opinions and activities through various social
media outlets such as twitter and Facebook.
Additionally, the Internet allows for 24-hour access to media users,
and increased internet dependency may lead to increased parasocial
interactions. While parasocial relationships still remain one-sided, they have
transformed into more interactive environments, allowing individuals to
communicate with their media personas, and increasing the intimacy and
strength of the parasocial relationship.
Despite the one-sided nature of parasocial relationships, there are numerous
similarities between these relationships and more traditional social
relationships. Studies show parasocial relationships are voluntary, provide
companionship, and are influenced by social attraction. Furthermore, viewers
experience a connection with the media user and express feelings of affection,
gratitude, longing, encouragement, and loyalty towards them.
Just as relational maintenance is important in sustaining a relationship with our
real life friends and family, relational maintenance also occurs in parasocial
relationships through events such as weekly viewings of Keeping Up with the
Kardashians. Blogs and social media sites, such as Twitter, Facebook, and
Instagram, increase the ease with which viewers can express their feelings.
Parasocial relationships are popular within these online communities, and this
may be due to the increased sense of “knowing” the personas, or the
perception of parasocial interactions as having a high reward and no chance of
rejection.
Historically, parasocial relationships were viewed as pathological and a
symptom of loneliness, isolation and social anxieties. However, one studyfound
there was no correlation between loneliness and the intensity of viewers’
parasocial relationship with onscreen characters. Other research has
decreased the stigma of such relationships and led clinicians to believe that
such relationships can broaden one’s social network rather than restrict it.
Parasocial relationships are important to viewers, and in many ways
advantageous because of the support that the viewer gains from the
relationship. Many seriously ill people find afternoons with Oprah or Ellen the
one chance in the day to see a friend without stress and gain strength from their
relationship with the hostess.
Individuals with parasocial relationships often express appreciation towards
their favorite personas for helping them to get through tough times. Additionally,
some viewers perceive the personas as helping to significantly shape their own
identity. The support that parasocial relationships provide is of substantial
value to the viewers that engage in them, and with new social media techniques,
these relationships are a viable way to expand individuals’ social networks.