Have you ever found yourself crushing so hard on a celebrity or media persona that you feel like you have a special bond with them? I’m looking at you, Manny Montana, from Good Girls. Mmm, you play a bad boy so well, but I know for a fact you’re actually a feminist supporting women’s rights with that big brain…because I follow you on social media and pore over your content as if I’m keeping up with an old friend. Or how about a “girl crush” that genuinely inspires you to feel a little stronger on some days? Frances McDormand has actually encouraged and uplifted me on many difficult days, she just has no idea I exist.
The term for this very real, very imagined relationship that I’m dreaming up from afar is called a Parasocial Interaction, or PSI. It isn’t new by any means, but it is becoming far more common thanks to technology and COVID-19. The term was coined by Donald Horton and Richard Wohl way back in 1956 and has garnered a lot more attention in the last decade or so with the explosion of access to our favorite personas by way of social media and all access interviews. After all, when we know what a celebrity’s entire home looks like, or what they eat for breakfast, lunch or dinner, or what they look like exercising, not to mention hearing their deepest thoughts, it’s easy to feel like we know them, and they, on some level, know and understand us.
Parasocial interactions 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 person’s existence. A parasocial interaction, an exposure that garners interest in a persona, can also escalate into a parasocial relationship, which causes the media user to develop illusions of intimacy, friendship, and identification. Parasocial relationships are most common with celebrities, social media personalities, organizations, sports teams, and television stars.
With today’s media coverage, access to “intimate” thoughts or looks into our favorite persona’s real life, it’s hard not to get caught up in a PSI, but being aware of how these relationships might affect ourselves or loved ones is something to be aware of. Positive information learned about the media persona results in increased attraction, and the relationship ideations can progress. Media personas have a significant amount of influence over media users, both young and old, positive or negative, informing the way that they perceive certain topics, purchasing habits, political ideas, and even to some extent religious views. These types of relationships are not inherently problematic, so long as the viewer is aware and in control of their cognitions and are able to recognize the reality of said relationship. The question of children and PSI is another question altogether, to which there are currently studies involving long term effects of parasocial interactions and children. These studies are relatively new but crucial to conduct for long term awareness, according to developmental psychologist Dr. Sandra L. Calvert.
Historically speaking, parasocial relationships were viewed as pathological and as a symptom of loneliness, isolation or social anxieties. However, one new study found there was no correlation between loneliness and the intensity of viewers’ parasocial relationship with their persona of interest. Other research has decreased the stigma of such relationships and led clinicians to believe that such relationships can actually add to one’s social network rather than hinder it.
Parasocial relationships are important to viewers, and in many ways beneficial because of the support that the viewer gains from the one-sided relationship. Many seriously ill or elderly people find afternoons with Ellen or evenings with Jimmy Kimmel a chance to see a friend without stress, and gain comfort from their parasocial interactions. Individuals with parasocial relationships often express appreciation toward their favorite personas for helping them to get through tough times. Some viewers perceive the personas, such as Harry Styles, as helping to shape their identity or offer a strong lead to follow in times of self doubt, or during bouts of depression and grief.
Dr. Tracy R. Gleason, a developmental psychologist and Wellesley professor, told Bustle that these infatuations may not be with the actual person you see walking the red carpet, in the case of Hollywood stars. “It might not be with the actor themselves but the character the person portrays. Really highly-developed characters can be attractive objects of parasocial focus,” Gleason said.
So the next time you find yourself feeling a little more hopeful or happy after a quick breeze through your favorite persona social media page, take a guilt-free moment to enjoy that buzz of endorphins, and know that it’s perfectly okay to be in a one way relationship with a celebrity…from afar! Now if you’ll excuse me, I am off to catch up with Frances about her new Wes Anderson movie, we’re in what I like to call a long term parasocial relationship.