Parasocial Relationships: Strangers Aren’t Your Friends

Parasocial relationships are nothing new. For as long as media has existed, people have bonded with, admired, and empathized with fictional figures and the tales of faraway people they never even met. The invention of mass media like television- and especially the Internet- has only made these relationships more intense. In the 50s and 60s, TV and radio introduced the masses to movie stars and singers to idolize. Now, in the Age of the Internet, social media has increased our parasocial actions with strangers, and allowed celebrities and influencers to provide us with multiple real time updates a day- we have no choice but to feel like we’re friends with them. But sometimes, when we feel like we know a figure too well, we cross personal boundaries. Parasocial relationships span across media from books, TV, and film, and across fandoms from Harry Potter and Marvel, to Sports and KPop. Some KPop Idols are victims of sasaengs, and others like Nayeon from TWICE have unrelenting stalkers with harmful delusions that threaten their safety. It’s totally okay to be a big fan of your favorite singer but just remember they’re strangers, and we don’t know them as well as we think. Email: naomicannibalyt@ SOURCES: Credits: rosieateez for her photocard collection: Napperville Community Television NCTV17 for Cursed Child Clip Hoohoohoblin for Kobe Bryant Memorial Footage : Noah Banks for Avengers Infitinity War Reaction