Parasocial relationships: the ‘illusion of friendship’ with a celebrity is better than none at all – but it can also be unhealthy
- A parasocial relationship is ‘the illusion of friendship’ with a public persona, says one professor, who adds it’s a normal thing that we do as social creatures
- During the pandemic, many people starved for social interaction have turned to parasocial relationships because they aren’t getting those needs met in real life
The term “parasocial relationship” is getting a lot of attention on Twitter as of late.
When news broke that American comedian John Mulaney and actress Olivia Munn are expecting a baby together, fans accused those who were critical of the announcement of having a “parasocial” relationship with the stars. The social media conversation led many to wonder: what is a parasocial relationship and is it unhealthy?
The term was first coined in 1956 by psychologists Donald Horton and Richard Whorl, after they studied the relationship between viewers and television personalities, such as news anchors and soap opera stars.
Elizabeth Perse, a professor emeritus of communication at the University of Delaware in the United States, says a parasocial relationship is the “the illusion of friendship” with a public persona.
