parasocial interaction

parasocial interaction (PSI), semblance of interpersonal exchange whereby members of an audience come to feel that they personally know a performer they have encountered in mass media. Parasocial interactions (PSIs) are thought to have a psychological effect similar to that of face-to-face communication. Over time, PSIs with a performer may lead audience members to develop a parasocial relationship—a one-sided sense of connection with the performer.

The term parasocial interaction first appeared in the writings of American sociologists Donald Horton and R. Richard Wohl in the 1956 article “Mass Communication and Para-Social Interaction: Observations on Intimacy at a Distance.” The article describes how PSIs may gradually lead to the formation of a parasocial relationship. Most theoretical work attempting to define and differentiate PSIs and parasocial relationships was published in the latter half of the 20th century. Generally, modern sociologists and media theorists agree that the concepts are distinct but deeply related. The Parasocial Interaction Scale, devised in the 1980s in order to better quantify PSIs and parasocial relationships, asks subjects to answer questions about both phenomena.

PSIs occur when audience members feel that they are actively interacting with a mass media personality. Human brains appear to process PSIs in much the same way as real-life interpersonal interactions because of the novelty of technologically mediated encounters. While people do recognize the artificiality of the media apparatus, their perception of PSIs causes a real psychological reaction.

PSIs are strongest when a media personality cultivates the illusion of interpersonal intimacy. Certain genres, programs, and celebrities have purposely fostered such a sense of intimacy in their tone and setting. For example, TV talk shows have their hosts directly address the camera as if in conversation with each viewer, creating the illusion of face-to-face closeness. Situation comedies manufacture familial settings that viewers grow more and more accustomed to. Certain podcasts and radio shows—especially those crafted around one or more hosts—adopt an informal tone resembling that of a gathering of friends.

As PSIs become increasingly frequent, many audience members enter into a parasocial relationship built on comfort, satisfaction, and commitment. In contrast, Horton and Wohl posited, people whose encounters with mass media figures are infrequent may feel detached and even cynical when they do encounter those figures. Indeed, the researchers suggested, audience members must tune in regularly and of their own volition for the relationship to become parasocial. Such relationships bridge genre and style. In one key study, researchers found that commitment levels (measured on a scale used for interpersonal relationships) for viewers of both fictional and nonfictional television programs were predicted by how invested the viewers were. Consequently, when a program went off the air, committed viewers experienced higher levels of distress, dubbed a “parasocial breakup,” than uncommitted viewers. Audience members often have a parasocial relationship with the same celebrity without feeling jealous of one another; in fact, in many cases, sharing their dedication to a mass media persona brings people closer together.

PSIs are especially common among children and adolescents. Young people’s ability to distinguish between the real and the artificial is less developed than that of adults, allowing parasocial relationships to form without adult levels of self-consciousness. Some children’s television programs use the parasocial space for education, having on-screen characters pause to invite viewers’ “participation.” PSIs help develop children’s ability to personify, thus opening the door for them to feel identification and empathy.

In the digital age, PSIs have become increasingly common. Social media platforms like Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok can effectively “read” a user’s interests and suggest related content. This can lead to the formation of increasingly deep and closely held PSIs. The availability of these parasocial spaces, heightened by advancements in smartphone technology and smartphones’ increasing presence, can blur the line between interpersonal and parasocial interaction. Digital PSIs have also fostered a phenomenon called “parasocial comparison,” wherein viewers feel that they are inferior to an on-screen persona. This often manifests in viewers as poor body image. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the quarantined world saw an uptick in parasocial relationships to cope with isolation, the effects of which continue to be investigated.