#is that shes just fundamentally seeking out that parasocial intimacy

[your--isgayrights]

Hmm rereading my own fic moment. On ch 4 and hsy and kdj are besties I think.

[saraheleavitt-blog]

Parasocial Relationships

     The necessity of one sided friendships: Parasocial Phenomenon

     Our daily life is inhabited by real face-to-face relationships and also parasocial relationships. The term parasocial relationship was originally coined by Donald Horton and R. Richard Wohl in 1956. According to the Fundamentals of Media Effects textbook (2013), a parasocial interaction is a phenomenon that occurs when viewers feel as though they personally know certain television personalities and film characters and share their worlds simply because they see and hear them so often (Bryant, Thompson, & Finklea, 2013). Although these relationships may be one sided, they are real relationships. The person on the other end may never know that you exist but the feelings that you form or feel when you read or watch them are real (Young, 2016).  Parasocial relationships are important and a positive thing that is arising from television and social media. Parasocial interactions and relationships have been said to be therapeutic, help people be more accepting, enhance the effects of celebrity endorsements, and allow social media to be an outlet for expression.

     Within the Parasocial contact there are parasocial interactions, relationships, and also attachments. While parasocial interactions and relationships can be beneficial to viewers, parasocial attachments can be seen as detrimental. Many people do not even recognize that they are forming these connections until it is explained to them, then they realize and reply “Oh my god, I do that” (Young, 2016). These interactions, relationships, and attachments are not limited to celebrities or television characters, people can also be connected to book characters, video game characters, and cartoons. Parasocial interactions occur while you are consuming the specific media, and become emotionally invested in what you are viewing. An example of a parasocial interaction, is shouting at your TV when a baseball player strikes out. However, this is a one-way interaction because the player will never hear or know your frustration with them. Parasocial relationships are the next tier of parasocial contact, they form when you continue to think about the celebrity after everything is turned off. Expressing this relationship includes being heartbroken when your favorite character dies in the program being viewed. Parasocial attachment however is more extreme, this is when the consumer has a desire to be close to the celebrity or star in question in order to feel more secure with themselves. The parasocial relationships and interactions are mostly viewed in a positive light and are seen to be positive in most circumstances, while parasocial attachment can often be seen as a negative thing.

     Parasocial relationships can be seen as a type of therapy. According to Young’s article, several researchers have noted that these relationships can help elderly people overcome the loss of a loved one (Young, 2016). Also following divorce or the death of a spouse, parasocial relationships are said to be helpful in getting the widows or divorcees to consider dating again. Young’s article focused on a female named Jaye Derrick who had a particular relationship with the show Friends. A 2008 study Derrick found that people with low self-esteem can also benefit from parasocial relationships (Young, 2016). According to the text even thinking about a favorite celebrity can allow low self-esteem people to become more comfortable in their own skin, and be more like who they want to be. These relationships are also safe and reliable for the most part, given that the show does not end or the character does not get killed off. According to Pennington, Hall, and Hutchinson (2016), sometimes even simply reaching out to a celebrity even if they don’t respond can be helpful and enough for a fan to feel relational intimacy, which they may otherwise be lacking in their everyday life. People need and seek social interaction, this phenomenon is referred to as, NTB which stands for the need to belong. NTB is defined as the pervasive drive to form and maintain at least a minimum quantity of lasting, positive, and significant interpersonal relationships (Escalas & Bettman, 2017). This is yet another reason why people seek relationships with celebrities, it motivates them to seek out parasocial relationships in order to gratify their needs (Rosaen & Dibble).

     Parasocial relationships are even said to make people more accepting of minority groups, and cause prejudices to recede. According to a NPR article, a researcher at MIT named Edward Schiappa looked into whether shows that featured mainly gay men could lower prejudice toward LGBTQ people. A popular television show Will & Grace was studied, because one of the main characters is gay. Schiappa found that people who watched the show most often were less prejudice towards LGBTQ. This shows that TV can affect how people feel and think about others. The ability to meet and get to know these television characters in the comfort of your own home allows one to feel like they are actually friends with these characters. The parasocial relationships that are formed through watching television can boost people’s ability to empathize with people they otherwise would not have any interaction with or relate to. Television allows us to make all different kinds of relationships with people who are seemingly nothing like us, resulting in being more open and inviting everyone. According to Singh (2015), “Psychologist have consistently found that the most effective way to rid people from majority groups of bigoted ideas about, say, black people, immigrants, or queer folks, is to have them interact with people from those groups” (Singh, 2015). It is crucial how the minority characters are portrayed, shows such as Black-ish, Orange Is the New Black, Scandal, and Fresh Off the Boat are a good start at having minorities in well-respected roles.

     Parasocial relationships also enhance the effects of celebrity endorsements by creating a relationship between the celebrity and the consumer. According to Escalas and Bettman, it is estimated that 20% of U.S. advertisements feature celebrities in them. According to Escalas and Bettman (2017), “Parasocial relationships augment the influence of celebrity endorsements. In the same way that consumers trust friends’ recommendations the advice of a celebrity with whom they have a parasocial relationship is more persuasive” (Escalas & Bettman, 2017). According to the text, parasocial relationships enhance persuasion, which leads to why these relationships have such a great impact on consumers. When the celebrities image is congruent with the consumers personal image of themselves, then the advertisement can coincide with their own social identity. Also, people who engage in parasocial relationships are also more likely to look to celebrities for meaning, and the endorsements will have a greater effect on them.  Celebrity endorsements increase the attention paid to an advertisement, and also celebrities are generally attractive, when the product is related to attractiveness. Celebrities can be seen as a credible source as well if they have expertise in a certain area, such as Tom Brady endorsing football cleats.

     Often times celebrity endorsements are displayed on not only the company’s social media accounts, but also the celebrities own personal accounts. Social media has become an outlet where fans can connect with celebrities, and allow them to feel a sense of belonging and closeness with them. The social media platform that provides the biggest opportunity for interaction is Twitter. (Pennington, Hall, & Hutchinson, 2017).  Twitter transforms access and gives a glimpse into everyday lives of the celebrities. Twitter can create an emotional connection for fans, they see the tweets as coming from the celebrity, rather than a reporter writing about them in a magazine. This can provide an additional feeling of closeness because sometimes the celebrities even tweet out like they are talking right to the audience and want to hear what they are saying. The use of social media by celebrities is said to be the new form of marketing and it creates an illusion of closeness for the fans. Lady Gaga is a prime example of engaging fans on social media. Lady Gaga often shares videos that are created by fans, and speaks up on issues that are important to her such as gay rights, youth homelessness, HIV/AIDS, and much more. She creates a sense of closeness by calling her fans her “Little Monsters”, and refers to herself as “Mother Monster” (Young, 2017).

      Parasocial interaction is an active part of everyday life, and something that just about everyone has expired at one point in their life. Psychologist even say that it is not uncommon to think of fictional characters as your friends. These types of relationships are more common than we realize and occur very often. People immerse themselves into shows and consider themselves friends. One blogger documented her experience with the show One Tree Hill in her blog The Gallivant, she started her blog off by addressing the photo of the cast. “The people you see in the photo above? Those are my friends from high school. We grew up together. Just kidding. Sort of” (Richey, 2017). Richey is aware of the parasocial relationship that is occurring but she truly does feel like she grew up along with the cast. She sees the show as comforting, and fehels as though she is hanging out with old friends. She challenges others to notice the parasocial relationships in their own lives. Richey wants people to think about if they were sad when Friends ended, or if you were sad when your favorite character got killed off of Game of Thrones, if the answers are yes then one has engaged in a parasocial contact. Parasocial interactions and relationships have a positive effect on society, and hopefully will continue to do so in the future.

Works Cited Bryant, J., Thompson, S., & Finklea, B. W. Fundamentals of Media Effects (2nd ed.). Long Grove, Illinois: Waveland Press, INC. . Escalas, J. E., & Bettman, J. R. (2017). Connecting With Celebrities: How Consumers Appropriate Celebrity Meanings for a Sense of Belonging. Journal Of Advertising, 46(2), 297-308. doi:10.1080/00913367.2016.1274925 Pennington, N., Hall, J. A., & Hutchinson, A. (2016). To Tweet or Not to Tweet: Explaining Fan-Celebrity Interaction on Twitter. Iowa Journal Of Communication, 48(1/2), 55-75. Richey, E. (2014, June 18). Parasocial Relationships: How Fictional Characters Become Our Friends. Retrieved November 20, 2017, from www.thegalivant.net Rosaen, S. F., & Dibble, J. L. (2016). Clarifying the Role of Attachment and Social Compensation on Parasocial Relationships with Television Characters. Communication Studies, 67(2), 147-162. doi:10.1080/10510974.2015.1121898 Singh, M. (2015, August 31). How Shows Like 'Will & Grace' And 'Black-ish' Can Change Your Brain. Retrieved November 20, 2017, from www.npr.org Young, L. (2016, September 23). How Our Make-Believe Relationships with Celebrities Shape Our Social Lives. Retrieved November 20, 2017, www.atlasobscura.com