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Summary: The Evolution Of Parasocial Relationships

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Introduction

With the swift development of online technology and the introduction of more social media platforms people around the world feel more connected than ever before. Most uses of social media involve communicating with friends whether they are close or far, but more and more celebrities have set up social media accounts to connect with their fans and announce upcoming projects. With this evolution in connectivity fans feel much more intimate towards celebrities as they are given a front row seat into the private lives of their favorite stars. Some stars interact with their fans frequently while others post only for business purposes. No matter the level of interaction between the celebrity and his or her fans, the celebrity’s lives …show more content…
Parasocial relationships are affinities where only one side is aware of its existence. One person invests their emotional energy, interest and time into the relationship while the other party is completely unaware of the other person and the existence of their relationship. These relationships are commonly formed by fans with celebrities that they admire. Some claim a deeper connection and even go as far as proclaim their relationship as intimate. Most parasocial relationships are formed by general interactions by the celebrities being interpreted as specific by the facilitator of the relationship. Parasocial Relationships are derived from what is called the Parasocial Contact Hypothesis. The Parasocial Contact Hypothesis was proposed and first coined by Allport (1954). This theory illustrated the workings of interaction between a person of tv and the viewer. The Parasocial Contact Hypothesis stated that people processed mass mediated interactions as if they were interpersonal social interactions. These interactions of “contact” from the celebrities to the viewers became the basis of which parasocial relationships were born. Horton and Wohl (1957) theorized The Parasocial Relationship Hypothesis when they studied the phenomenon in which people were incorporating as much of the lives of famous celebrities into their own as if they were in a typical social …show more content…
Nowadays, celebrities post their personal thoughts and opinions on social media. Instead of only viewing their edited and approved work, fans can now have a window into the true personalities of celebrities. The fans can now know a celebrity’s hobbies, favorite songs and movies and more. Shared traits and interests between the celebrity and the viewer can be used as a basis for forming social relationships. The Social Identity Theory developed by Henry Tajfel (1979) describes a natural liking to those who we feel more similar to. Henry Tajfel speculated that humans categorized people they come in contact with as either in-group or out-group based on their preferences and identity. The better understanding of celebrities due to social media can stimulate in-group behavior in the mind of the viewer and further enhance the development of their parasocial relationship. While parasocial relationships still remain one-sided, they have transferred into more interactive environments, allowing individuals to communicate with their media personas. Even with no feedback this increases the intimacy and strength of the parasocial relationship. Parasocial relationships are developed on social media when fans can related a trait of the celebrity as in-group. This is evident by a study conducted by Schiappa, Gregg and Hewes (2005) where the participants viewed three profiles on people belonging in homosexual and

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