Difference between revisions of "Parasocial Relationship"
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== How do parasocial relationships form? == | == How do parasocial relationships form? == | ||
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The process to forming a parasocial relationship is very similar to that of a real friendship.<ref name="The Development of Parasocial Relationships on YouTube">[https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/1713/da74f55ec2edef19225b6db96e4dbeaf7201.pdf The Development of Parasocial Relationships | The process to forming a parasocial relationship is very similar to that of a real friendship.<ref name="The Development of Parasocial Relationships on YouTube">[https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/1713/da74f55ec2edef19225b6db96e4dbeaf7201.pdf The Development of Parasocial Relationships | ||
on YouTube]</ref> At the start of new friendships, frequent and regular communication “promote the reduction of uncertainty,” which in turn promote frequent and regular communication. Next, this “decreased uncertainty… promotes liking, or interpersonal attraction.” Finally, the positive correlation between interpersonal attraction and intimacy causes the friends to get closer. | on YouTube]</ref> At the start of new friendships, frequent and regular communication “promote the reduction of uncertainty,” which in turn promote frequent and regular communication. Next, this “decreased uncertainty… promotes liking, or interpersonal attraction.” Finally, the positive correlation between interpersonal attraction and intimacy causes the friends to get closer. | ||
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This cycle is easily translatable to media, as more exposure to personalities reduces our uncertainty about them, increasing their appeal. As we grow to like these celebrities, we perceive ourselves to be in an intimate relationship, despite having never interacted with them. | This cycle is easily translatable to media, as more exposure to personalities reduces our uncertainty about them, increasing their appeal. As we grow to like these celebrities, we perceive ourselves to be in an intimate relationship, despite having never interacted with them. | ||
| + | In the information age, parasocial relationships are propagated by the changing nature of friend-like interactions themselves – rather than engaging with friends solely through face-to-face interactions, friends also perform themselves online, interact digitally with the online-counterparts of their friends by liking and commenting on each other’s’ posts, responding to messages and posting videos.<ref name="The Development of Parasocial Relationships on YouTube" /> Many friends even limit their interactions to exclusively digital ones. Coupled with the fact that social media performances can broadcasted at any hour of the day on personal pages, audiences are more-frequently and more-authentically interacting with their personalities, increasing the prevalence of parasocial relationships. On the personality's end, performing friend-like interactions through posts, pictures, likes, and messages is far less labor-intensive than actual relationship cultivation, and they can use bots, social media assistants, and other services to perform engagement with their audiences to propogate the parasocial relationship. | ||
== History == | == History == | ||
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| + | The formation of parasocial relationships can be dated back to the existence of humanity, as individuals formed bonds with popular figures both real and imaginary, such as politicians, gods, and spirits. Entertainment also provided a source of parasocial relationships as audiences bonded with their favorite characters in plays, films, and television. | ||
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| + | Despite its longevity, the term parasocial relationship was only coined by sociologists in 1956. They noted that audiences would act as though they were involved in a social relationship with their idols, despite never having met them. The sociologists initially speculated that this was due to a lack of social interaction, but this was later refuted. Today, the standard view on parasocial relationship formation is that they are closely related to friendship formation. | ||
Revision as of 16:47, 15 March 2019
Parasocial relationships are "one-sided relationship that can occur between a media user and the media being consumed.”[1] Parasocial relationships typically occur between a celebrity and their audience – for example, an influencer and her followers. Through a combination of physical performance (talking informally, addressing the viewers in a conversational tone) and digital performance (posting photos that encourage audience engagement, commenting on posts, etc.) the audience are led to believe that the presenter knows them personally, creating an illusion of intimacy.
How do parasocial relationships form?
The process to forming a parasocial relationship is very similar to that of a real friendship.[2] At the start of new friendships, frequent and regular communication “promote the reduction of uncertainty,” which in turn promote frequent and regular communication. Next, this “decreased uncertainty… promotes liking, or interpersonal attraction.” Finally, the positive correlation between interpersonal attraction and intimacy causes the friends to get closer.
This cycle is easily translatable to media, as more exposure to personalities reduces our uncertainty about them, increasing their appeal. As we grow to like these celebrities, we perceive ourselves to be in an intimate relationship, despite having never interacted with them.
In the information age, parasocial relationships are propagated by the changing nature of friend-like interactions themselves – rather than engaging with friends solely through face-to-face interactions, friends also perform themselves online, interact digitally with the online-counterparts of their friends by liking and commenting on each other’s’ posts, responding to messages and posting videos.[2] Many friends even limit their interactions to exclusively digital ones. Coupled with the fact that social media performances can broadcasted at any hour of the day on personal pages, audiences are more-frequently and more-authentically interacting with their personalities, increasing the prevalence of parasocial relationships. On the personality's end, performing friend-like interactions through posts, pictures, likes, and messages is far less labor-intensive than actual relationship cultivation, and they can use bots, social media assistants, and other services to perform engagement with their audiences to propogate the parasocial relationship.
History
The formation of parasocial relationships can be dated back to the existence of humanity, as individuals formed bonds with popular figures both real and imaginary, such as politicians, gods, and spirits. Entertainment also provided a source of parasocial relationships as audiences bonded with their favorite characters in plays, films, and television.
Despite its longevity, the term parasocial relationship was only coined by sociologists in 1956. They noted that audiences would act as though they were involved in a social relationship with their idols, despite never having met them. The sociologists initially speculated that this was due to a lack of social interaction, but this was later refuted. Today, the standard view on parasocial relationship formation is that they are closely related to friendship formation.