Did you know that China is the country that exports the most?
Ever experienced feelings of grief when your favorite TV show comes to end? Or felt like you are actually part of the friendship group you watch on TV? If so, you may have been in a parasocial relationship. Best defined as a one-way relationship between a media user and a media persona, parasocial relationships can seem strange. However, they are more common than you might think, and they even have several potential benefits.
Curious? Check out this gallery to find out more.
The concept of a parasocial relationship was first devised by psychiatrists Donald Horton and R. Richard Wohl in their 1956 article ‘Mass Communication and Para-Social Interaction: Observations on Intimacy at a Distance.’
People in parasocial relationships have been known to form them with celebrities, social media influencers, animated characters, and film and TV personalities.
While existing research tends to focus on parasocial friendships, it is also possible for parasocial relationships to take on a romantic dimension.
At first sight it may seem that parasocial relationships are delusional and therefore unhealthy, however, there are some surprising benefits to them.
By building up their confidence and helping people believe in their own self-efficacy, parasocial relationships can help people have stronger feelings of belonging.
Another benefit of parasocial relationships is that they can help tackle loneliness. For many people, parasocial relationships are an important source of interaction.
This became particularly apparent during the COVID-19 pandemic, when social relationships became more difficult to maintain, due to lockdowns and social distancing.
Although research on the topic is still limited, there is evidence to suggest that many people turned to media personas during this time to satisfy their need for interaction.
Finally, there is also evidence to suggest that parasocial relationships can help strengthen social relationships.
It is perfectly possible for more than one person to maintain a parasocial relationship with the same media figure, and discussing those mutual parasocial relationships is a great way to strengthen social connections.
Moreover, fans often create groups in support of their favorite artists and media personalities, and being a part of those groups can be a great way to meet people.
In turn, the media user can nurture their parasocial relationship by pursuing further parasocial interactions. Sometimes it can even lead to what experts call "parasocial attachment."
Since our brains never evolved to distinguish between the people we see and hear through media and those we see and hear in real life, parasocial connections can be enough to satisfy that craving.
As strange as it may sound, most experts on this topic now agree that engaging in a parasocial relationship is normal and very common.
It is also important to note that most people in parasocial relationships know that the relationship is not real in the sense that it is not reciprocated.
However, researchers are currently questioning whether social media may have the power to change parasocial relationships and help them take on a social dimension.
Indeed, a particular area of interest is whether the ability for a media user to contact a media persona directly, and perhaps even receive a response, will change the nature of parasocial relationships.
Until now, most of the research has focused on parasocial relationships with TV and film personas. It will be interesting to see how social media changes the field.
Sources: (Verywell Mind)
See also: The sad reasons why some good relationships don't last
Put simply, a parasocial relationship is a non-reciprocated relationship that a media consumer enters into with a media persona.
What is a parasocial relationship?
The benefits and drawbacks of a one-way relationship
LIFESTYLE Social media
Ever experienced feelings of grief when your favorite TV show comes to end? Or felt like you are actually part of the friendship group you watch on TV? If so, you may have been in a parasocial relationship. Best defined as a one-way relationship between a media user and a media persona, parasocial relationships can seem strange. However, they are more common than you might think, and they even have several potential benefits.
Curious? Check out this gallery to find out more.