More Than Fans: Understanding Parasocial Relationships

According to clinical psychologist Adam Borland, parasocial relations are one-sided connections or bonds people form with celebrities, organizations like sports teams, and fictional characters like Harry Potter. These can significantly impact individuals’ attitudes, behaviors, and decisions, mainly when influenced by digital and social media. You could say they are in a bond with long-distance friends, where it is only possible to know what happens in the other’s life through their sharing on the internet. The feeling that you know the other comes from following them daily on their digital platforms, reading their posts, listening to all their music, or watching all their videos and movies. 

Although the term may sound new to many, parasocial relations existed long before digital networks or the internet. Dr. Borland says, “People still talked about looking up to movie stars, athletes, or some public figure they bonded with. It was more than just being a fan back then, as well. Parasocial relationships involve a solid identification and sense of connection.” One can remember Elvis Presley or Beatles fans who realized this behavior was nothing new. However, today, it is easier to form parasocial relationships than ever before due to social networks, the internet, and programs such as “The House of the Famous,” which give the public access to the lives of various public figures 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

New research by Thriveworks shows that many Americans have parasocial relationships. The report says that 51 % of Americans have probably had these one-sided relations, although only 16 % admit it. In addition, it mentions that 20 % of its respondents have experienced genuine grief after a celebrity’s death. Even more surprising, 26 % reported feeling sad when a fictional character on television or film dies. Thriveworks research notes, “We are not just talking about expressing sadness on Twitter (now X). Nearly 10% of Americans report negative effects on their mental health from the death of a celebrity they admire. Also, 7% of those surveyed have suffered mentally when they do not receive responses on social networks.”

While fans’ parasocial interactions can be everyday and understandable, these relationships can become profound, positioning celebrities as role models rather than real-life people. Such extreme dedication can lead someone to consider a public figure as someone who “can’t do anything wrong” and, when they do something harmful, dislike them because they may feel betrayed, even though it is a one-sided relationship and the celebrity has no idea of the other party’s existence. Celebrities can also contribute to this bonding because these interactions can generate a lot of money for them. However, many genuinely affectionate their followers and want to interact with them through live streams or subscription services.

But how are parasocial relationships formed? Although one-sided, they develop in the same way as all: through interactions. It can happen simply by watching a TV series, falling in love with a character, and following the actor on their social platforms. Or it may be an artist who once appeared on a program and became part of someone’s day-to-day life or an influencer on a social network who inspires the need to know more about them.

In 2006, researchers David Giles and John Maltby classified parasocial relations into three categories: social entertainment relationships, intensely personal relationships, and those that border on the pathological, depending on the enthusiasm of the person’s feelings towards the public figure. The first category refers to being a fan of a celebrity because it is fun to learn and talk about them. Intense personal parasocial relationships feel intense and compulsive, but the individual understands there is no natural bond. However, the person constantly checks the celebrity’s social networks, joins their live broadcasts, thinks about them continuously, and even defends them on social networks when someone speaks negatively about them. In these cases, a person dedicates excessive time to following the media figure, neglecting other important areas of their life. This obsession can manifest itself as a constant need to obtain information about the celebrity, attend all their events, or compulsively buy products related to them. The last category, borderline-pathological relationships, are those where an individual can no longer control their feelings or thoughts, leading, in the worst cases, to harassment or violence. 

Nowadays, it is increasingly common to see posts or edits about artists, characters, or celebrities created by a teenage following and aimed toward them. These are conducive because adolescents are more vulnerable to parasocial relationships due to their minds not yet fully developed. How do such ties affect them? Do social entertainment connections or intensely personal ones have counterproductive effects? 

Parasocial relationships, while seemingly harmless at first glance, can adversely impact a person’s mental health and overall well-being. They can become so primary in their lives that they interfere with real interpersonal bonds because the person devotes more time and energy to the parasocial relationship than cultivating authentic connections with people around them. Additionally, by relying exclusively on a one-sided connection to meet social and emotional needs, someone may be at risk of social isolation and experience profound loneliness. This can be especially problematic for individuals with anxious or avoidant attachment styles, who may find in parasocial relationships a way to avoid rejection or actual intimacy. By taking refuge in this type of relationship, the person tries to avoid facing the challenges and problems they face in their own life. This can be counterproductive because it can impede their personal growth and ability to develop healthy coping strategies.

Research by Leslee Bennett, B.A., reports that these bonds allow people to connect with something and escape the world surrounding them. However, the asymmetrical relationship produces a lack of personal interaction that exhausts them and affects their mental health, causing them to feel that they do not matter. In addition, they can cause anxiety, depression, loneliness, social isolation, and even influence their financial behaviors. Bennett also mentions that these relationships are often based on idealizing the media figure, which can lead individuals to make harmful comparisons with themselves, affecting their self-esteem and generating feelings of inferiority. Continuous exposure to celebrities’ seemingly perfect lives on social media can exacerbate these comparisons and contribute to body dissatisfaction, anxiety, and depression. It is important to note that parasocial relationships do not directly cause these disorders, but they can be an aggravating factor in people predisposed to them.

Although anyone can form these types of bonds, adolescents are particularly vulnerable to harmful effects because they are at a crucial stage of identity development and may be more influenced by the media figures they admire. Additionally, research by Sarah E. Erickson, K. Harrison, and Sonya Dal Cin se reported that 94% of adolescents obtain information about romantic relationships through television, cinema, and movies. These media form their insights into sex, social relationships, and gender roles, impacting how they perceive and present the concept of gender and social connections.

Erickson et al. stress that adolescents who base their understanding of romantic relationships on parasocial connections often try replicating these dynamics in their real lives. This can be detrimental if teens associate the unfavorable characteristics of celebrities with the romantic ideal they aspire to achieve, which will adversely influence their relationships. However, not everything associated with parasocial relationships is negative; many benefits are associated with having this type of bond. To begin with, according to Dr. Borland, public figures can serve as positive role models and encourage good habits. For example, fans of Korean music groups (K-pop) often spend a lot of time recreating their idols’ dances, producing better physical health. It has also encouraged many fans to learn Korean. Dr. Borland points out that “a parasocial relationship can be a potential source of connection, comfort, and companionship, especially if you feel lonely, isolated, or deal with social anxiety.” This was especially true during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic when many people were isolated. These relationships offered an opportunity to feel a sense of connection and camaraderie during difficult times.

Please let us know if you have felt this connection with a public figure, football team, organization, etc. Do you think these relations are positive or negative?  

Translation by: Daniel Wetta

Paulette Delgado

Share

This article from Observatory of the Institute for the Future of Education may be shared under the terms of the license CC BY-NC-SA 4.0