A Parasociology

Abstract

Abstract In 1956, American researchers Horton and Wohl coined the term “para-social interaction,” defined as the bond of intimacy that a consumer of media feels towards the “image” of the performer. Later developed into the notion of “celebrity worship” by researchers, “parasociality” has a relationship to the worshipful dynamics of totemism—in which the image of the animal exceeds the actual being in sacredness—as described by French sociologist Émile Durkheim. Discussing French author Jean Genet’s exploration of the unlikely forms of totemic worship common in the age of mass media, this article posits that Genet’s “parasociology of religion” demonstrates the way in which Durkheimian sociology of religion can offer insight into ostensibly secular contemporary practices, including those of fan communities.