Parasocial Research Articles

Парасоциальные отношения в цифровом обучении: анализ экспериментального случая

<p>Social media has become integral to education and learning because it provides a platform for access to information and resources beyond traditional classroom settings, enabling students to expand their knowledge and skills in a more interactive and personalized manner. The relationships that are formed with on-screen characters or personas (parasocial relationships) can improve understanding of the material and engagement with media content. The current study aimed to investigate the impact of parasocial relationships on a child's learning ability and test performance. The experiment, conducted as an exploratory case study with a typically developing 10-year-old child, included a parasocial condition with prior exposure to personal TikTok content of some educational video creators and other creators presented as novel (control); control conditions were further split into visible and non-visible video presenters. Performance was assessed using tests specialized by the subject and knowledge category, and an interview on the parasocial relationship was administered. The findings demonstrate that performance correlated with the presenter ratings obtained through the interview and not with the amount of previous exposure to the content created by the presenter.</p>

People perceive parasocial relationships to be effective at fulfilling emotional needs.

People regularly form one-sided, "parasocial" relationships (PSRs) with targets incapable of returning the sentiment. Past work has shown that people engage with PSRs to support complex psychological needs (e.g., feeling less lonely after watching a favorite movie). However, we do not know how people rate these relationships relative to traditional two-sided relationships in terms of their effectiveness in supporting psychological needs. The current research (Ntotal = 3085) examined how PSRs help people fulfil emotion regulation needs. In Studies 1 and 2, participants felt that both their YouTube creator and non-YouTube creator PSRs were more effective at fulfilling their emotional needs than in-person acquaintances, albeit less effective than close others. In Study 3, people with high self-esteem thought PSRs would be responsive to their needs when their sociometer was activated, just as they do with two-sided relationships.

“Got a Radio Show”: The Influence of Steve Harvey’s Morning Ministry on Secular Radio Audiences

ABSTRACT This study examines how Steve Harvey’s devotional commentary influences listeners through his morning radio program. Unlike most secular morning radio programs, Harvey opens and closes his syndicated program with religious commentary and devotional messages. After an analysis of his devotional messages, two interpretive themes emerged. Findings indicate listeners believe inspirational messages should be aired on secular, commercial radio programs. Also, Steve Harvey’s celebrity status has some influence on their acceptance of the religious messages due to the parasocial relationship listeners develop with the host.

On Mitigating Celebritistic Culture in Western Ecclesial Contexts

Abstract This article explores the influence of celebrification and celebritisation within Western ecclesial contexts while addressing the ways in which this phenomenon bolsters pressures to structure orthopraxy around pragmatism, popularity, and efficiency. Examining the social effects of celebritisation, such as ‘parasocial relationships’ and ‘mimicry’, on ecclesial dynamics, the article argues that such influences lead to the elevation of those who exhibit impressive or culturally ‘popular’ traits, while marginalising those who ‘fail’ according to the larger system’s standards. Further study elucidates the intersection of celebritisation with Western leadership models, critiquing a perceived over-reliance on strict, ‘ladder’ hierarchy. Western ecclesial contexts have suffered from a celebritisation that is contradictory to communal health, and the paper concludes that its mitigation will require a reorientation of ecclesial structure and practices. Proposing a rejection of these trends, the study first advocates the mitigation of celebrification through internal self-emptying among ecclesial leaders, before suggesting an undermining of celebritisation through trading a ‘ladder’ hierarchy for a ‘lattice’ hierarchy that will serve to enhance community participation.

Captain Sisko and Me

This essay uses autoethnography and performative writing to explore the role Captain Benjamin Sisko of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine has played in my life as a fatherless daughter. I ruminate on specific moments of the show and Sisko’s fatherhood, at times rewriting my own fragmented and painful histories with my “father.” This allows for spaces of agency and possibility for me as a Chicana fatherless daughter. Furthermore, this essay offers us a space to consider the role of popular culture and para-social relationships not only in autoethnography, but for healing interpersonal hurts.

Hubungan Kedekatan Personal ARMY terhadap BTS dengan Perilaku Aktivisme Sosial Online

The feeling of personal closeness between fans and their idols is the basis of the parasocial relationship that is often experienced by K-Pop fans, including ARMY and BTS. This parasocial relationship can make fans do anything for their idols, one of which is to carry out acts of social activism on behalf of their fandom and idols. Social activism is a positive behavior that is an action taken with the aim of bringing about change in society. The purpose of this study is to examine whether there is a relationship between ARMY's personal closeness to BTS and ARMY's online social activism behavior. This research was conducted through quantitative methods with sampling techniques using G*power. In the calculation stage, the Statistical Test was carried out with the structural equation model test. The results of statistical analysis using the help of JASP and SMARTPLS, state that the hypothesis that researchers build is accepted. From this it can be concluded that in line with previous research that the personal closeness between ARMY and BTS can be the basis for the behavior of fans, one of which is social activism because the two variables have a significant relationship.

Construct validation and measurement invariance of the Parasocial Relationships in Social Media survey.

This paper examines the construct validity and measurement invariance of the Parasocial Relationships in Social Media (PRISM) survey which was designed to provide researchers with a valid and reliable tool for measuring parasocial relationships developed in a social media context. A confirmatory factor analysis indicated the survey provides an adequate measure of parasocial relationships with online, social media celebrities, replicating the factor structure found by Boyd and colleagues when they developed PRISM and providing evidence of the construct validity of the survey. Additionally, scalar measurement invariance was achieved which supports the survey's ability to compare parasocial relationships across different social media platforms.

When livestreaming meets tourism product marketing: empirical evidence from Chinese customers

ABSTRACT Despite the contribution of livestreaming to the development of contemporary marketing, current livestreaming research still lacks a thorough understanding of the mechanism that drives consumer behavior, particularly in live tourism product marketing. Based on parasocial interaction and attachment theory, this study aims to investigate the mediation role of parasocial interaction between celebrity attachment, brand attitude, and immediate buying behavior in tourism product livestreaming. Our work demonstrates that parasocial interaction fully mediates celebrity attachment and brand attitude; but partially mediates celebrity attachment and immediate buying behavior. In addition, tourism stakeholders are provided with meaningful theoretical and practical implications.

Parasocial Interactions of Indonesian Beauty Vloggers in the Digital Age: Do they Impact Purchases by Millennial Netizens?

The research objective of this study is to determine the impact of parasocial interactions on consumers' propensity to purchase cosmetics in the digital age. The other aim of this study is to elucidate how hedonism, social attractiveness, and physical beauty affect parasocial interactions. The originality of this study is the integration of theories in the research model, namely the parasocial interaction theory, social identity theory, and theory of reasoned action. The main goal of this study is to fill a theoretical and practical gap by answering the question of how internal and external factors significantly influence online purchase intention. Beauty vloggers' physical and social attractiveness is used to explain the external variables, while hedonism is used to explain the internal factors. The researchers used a positive paradigm and a quantitative approach. Data from well-known media platforms, such as Instagram and YouTube, were gathered. The sample of subscribers to beauty vlogger accounts numbered 450 and they were surveyed using a purposive sampling technique. The data were examined using the outer and inner models of Smart PLS through Structural Equation Modeling. This study shows that parasocial interactions entirely offset the effect of physical and social attractiveness on purchase intention in the digital age. The external variables affect how millennials interact with beauty vloggers more than the internal variables do. Therefore, it is distinctive how millennial netizens use the Instagram and YouTube platforms in parasocial interactions, using beauty vloggers as influencers. Given the results, managers should engage with the influencers to create collaborations and manage social media channels to interact with audiences who are involved with beauty vloggers.

Measuring the Role of Social Media and E-word of Mouth on Purchase Intention of Secondate Make-up Products

Purchase intention is important to pay attention to because it relates to consumer interest in trying, buying, and owning products such as beauty products. Furthermore, it can be seen from the consumer's behavior of parasocial interaction, social value, and personal value towards the influencer, which will affect their interest in buying the product. This research takes the object of research as an owner as well as an influencer for beauty products Secondate. The research design uses a deductive approach with a quantitative research model to determine the impact of influencers on the quality of parasocial interaction, social values, personal values, and e-wom on purchase intention. The sample of this study were secondary make-up users with a total of 169 respondents. Data analysis used the Structural Equation Model (SEM) method. The results of the study show that parasocial interaction affects social value. Parasocial interaction increases positive perceptions of personal value, and social value can increase consumer purchase intention, but personal value cannot attract consumer purchase intention. Parasocial interaction does not affect consumer purchase intention, so e-wom does not moderate the effect of parasocial interaction on consumer purchase intention. The results of this study concluded that social media can be a means to affect the interest in buying a product. With the respondent's research on social value and personal value, it can be said that it affects a person's buying interest in a product. Social value and personal value can help us to sort out which products we need and which are suitable for us.

Parasocial Interaction as a Mediator: Unraveling the Influence of Social Media Influencers on Purchase Intentions

This research aims to analyze the influence of social media influencers on the purchase intention of online shopping application users in Indonesia, by including parasocial interactions as a mediator. There were 200 respondents obtained through purposive sampling technique. Using PLS-SEM (Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling), the research results reveal that (1) social media influencers have a positive and significant direct influence on purchase intention; and (2) the influence of influencers is not only direct but also through mediated parasocial interactions. These findings become valuable insights for marketers in increasing the effectiveness of marketing strategies through collaboration with influencers. Overall, this research underscores the critical role of social media influencers in shaping purchase intention among online shopping application users in Indonesia, emphasizing the significance of emotional connections and engagement in influencing consumer behavior. In summary, the study results underscore the notable impact of social media influencers on the intention to purchase among users of online shopping platforms in Indonesia.

Going Beyond the Screen - Exploring Para-social Relationships with Anime Characters amongst the Anime Community

The purpose of this study was to explore the determinants and impacts of parasocial relationships (PSR) with anime characters within the anime community. Guided by a qualitative methodology, the research aimed to uncover the psychological mechanisms at play and the socio-emotional influences exerted by these one-sided relationships. Findings indicate that parasocial interactions serve as a platform for identification, coping, and escapism, providing emotional regulation, stress relief, and immersive experiences. These relationships significantly affect interpersonal dynamics, emotional well-being, and community belonging. They are pivotal in fostering social bonds, facilitating self-discovery, and reinforcing cultural identification. The study concludes that parasocial relationships are integral to individual and collective experiences, shaping the social fabric of the anime community. This research contributes to media psychology by highlighting the complex role of media characters in personal and social contexts, suggesting a nuanced understanding of the interplay between media consumption and social interaction.

A Summary of Otome Games Associated with Character Attachment, Parasocial Relationship and Place Attachment

With the increasing proportion of female players in the mobile game market, female-oriented romantic games are increasingly sought after by players. It is necessary to conduct research on this kind of female-oriented romantic games (scientific name Otome Game). This paper will focus on summarizing the effects of Character Attachment, Parasocial relationship and Place Attachment on female players related to Otome Game. According to the analysis of this paper, as Otome Games are integrated into players' lives, the three psychological mechanisms and players reinforce and influence each other.

FACTORS MOTIVATING STUDENTS TO CONTINUE USING YOUTUBE AS A LEARNING AID POST-COVID-19 PANDEMIC

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the process of teaching and learning had to be conducted online, such as through Zoom meetings, due to physical meeting restrictions, including in higher education. However, this was not entirely effective due to various factors, such as individual student learning preferences. To enhance comprehension, students utilized video-sharing platforms like YouTube, which, as it turns out, was effective. Hence, this study aims to investigate what factors motivate students (both school and university students) to continue using YouTube as a learning medium post-COVID-19 pandemic. A theoretical lens of the Expectation Confirmation Model is used with the addition of external variables: Perceived Herd and Parasocial Interaction. A total of 242 respondents from both educational levels in Manokwari Regency were obtained and analyzed using Partial Least Square - Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM). The study's results explain that students experience satisfaction in using YouTube, which motivates them in Manokwari to continue using it as a learning medium post-COVID-19. This satisfaction is influenced by variables such as confirmation (C), perceived usefulness (PU), and perceived herd (PH). However, the PU factor's impact on continuance usage (CU) has a t-statistic value <1.96 and a p-value >0.05, indicating it lacks significant influence. There is also a rejection of the parasocial interaction (PI) variable's influence on satisfaction (S). Furthermore, the use of control variables such as age and gender has shown significant influence on this study, with research findings indicating that age and gender significantly impact satisfaction and continuance usage.
  
 Keywords: Control Variables, COVID-19, Expectation Confirmation Model, Parasocial Interaction, Perceived Herd, YouTube

Virtually human: anthropomorphism in virtual influencer marketing

Virtual influencers (VIs), digitally created characters with a significant presence on social media, are progressively engaged to promote products and brands. Understanding the impact of these influencers' anthropomorphic design is crucial to their marketing effectiveness. Drawing from anthropomorphism literature, this research evaluates the effect of four types of anthropomorphism—namely, appearance, moral virtue, cognitive experience, and conscious emotionality—on followers' perceptions of VI credibility and parasocial relationships, as well as their purchase intention. The results of a survey reveal that anthropomorphism in moral virtue and cognitive experience has a positive effect on both credibility and parasocial relationships, while anthropomorphism in appearance has a positive effect only on parasocial relationships. Anthropomorphism in conscious emotionality has no significant effect. Both credibility and parasocial relationships have a positive effect on purchase intention, with the impact of parasocial relationships being stronger. Influencer–product congruence positively moderates the impact of credibility on purchase intention. The study advances the understanding of VI marketing and underscores the importance of considering the different aspects of anthropomorphism and their impacts on followers’ perceptions and behavior. The findings inform business strategy and decision-making in developing and promoting VI marketing campaigns.

Farewell on screen: Uncertainty in parasocial relationships and breakups with fictional media characters✰,✰✰

Viewers form enduring bonds, or parasocial relationships (PSRs), with media characters. They suffer breakup distress when such relationships are dissolved and show emotional reactions similar to those from the dissolution of social relationships. Alongside definite and temporary breakups, this paper introduces the term uncertain breakup, and the three breakup types are analyzed and compared. In a two-survey study with viewers of five shows (Emily in Paris, Bridgerton, Peaky Blinders, Shadow and Bone, Never Have I Ever), the three parasocial breakup types were analyzed in Study I with independent samples and with dependent samples in Study II, which also considered the behavioral effects of parasocial breakups. The results show that PSRs positively predict viewers’ temporary, uncertain, and definite breakup distress and subsequent PSRs after a breakup. The three types of breakup distress differ regarding, for example, their moderation of viewers’ level of loneliness or their behavioral effects. The results’ implications are discussed for future research on PSRs and their dissolution.

The role of para-social relationship in live streaming virtual gift purchase: a two-stage SEM-neural network analysis

PurposeDespite the burgeoning popularity of virtual gifting in live streaming, research lacks an in-depth understanding of the drivers behind this behavior. Using para-social relationship (PSR), this study aims to capture viewers’ lively social feelings toward the streamer as the key factor leading to the purchase behavior of virtual gifts. It also aims to establish a theoretical link between PSR and viewers’ holistic experience in live streaming as captured by cognitive absorption and aims to investigates the role of technological features (i.e. viewer–streamer and viewer–viewer interactivity, streamer-level and viewer-level deep profiling and design aesthetics) in shaping viewers’ experience.Design/methodology/approachBased on 433 survey responses, this study employs a combination of structural equation modeling and neural networks to offer valuable insights into the relationships between the technological environment, viewer experience and viewer behavior.FindingsOur results highlight the salience of PSR in promoting the purchase of virtual gifts through cognitive absorption and the importance of the technological environment in eliciting the viewer experience. This study sheds light on the development of PSR in a technological environment and its relationship with cognitive absorption.Originality/valueBy applying PSR to conceptualize viewers’ perceived connection with the streamer, this study extends the research on purchase behavior in the non-shopping context by providing an enlightened understanding of virtual gift purchase behavior in live streaming. Moreover, by theoretically linking PSR with cognitive absorption, virtual gift purchase and technological features of live streaming, it enriches the theory of PSR and bridges the gap between the design practice of supporting the IT infrastructure of live streaming and research.

Who Relies on Social Media Influencers for Political Information? A Cross-Country Study Among Youth

Social media influencers (SMIs) are defined as regular individuals who become well-known via self-branding on social media. Youth use content posted by SMIs not just for entertainment, but also for political information. However, we know little about which groups of young people are most likely to be exposed to their political messages or why some youth seem to favor SMIs’ political information over news content from other sources. Inspired by the selective exposure paradigm, this cross-country study conducted between April 2022 and March 2023 explored which variables positively relate to selecting SMIs as primary political information sources among a quota-based sample of emerging adults (16–22 years old) in Germany ( N = 559) and Belgium ( N = 495). We focused on dispositional factors, namely young people’s political predispositions (e.g., subjective political knowledge, institutional mistrust) and source perceptions (e.g., perceived expertise, perceived opinion leader functions), that may be associated with selecting SMIs for political information. Overall, 59 percent of youth in our study were able to name a favorite political SMI. In this analytical sample, youth who were male, politically active, or ascribed opinion leader functions to SMIs were likely to consider them central political information sources. Moreover, country-specific multi-group analysis showed that, in Germany, low subjective political knowledge and parasocial relationships developed with SMIs were linked with relying on them for political information.

Role of Parasocial Interaction and Credibility in Beauty Influencer to Improve Purchase Intention

Beauty brand owners are trying to increase the sales growth rate, which has been unstable due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This study explores the intention to purchase beauty products through the role of beauty influencers by examining parasocial interaction and credibility factors. Eight hypotheses were tested and analyzed using a structural equation model. The study showed that parasocial interaction and credibility positively impact purchase intention. Meanwhile, only social attractiveness influences parasocial interaction, while physical and social attractiveness affects credibility.

Fandom meets artificial intelligence: Rethinking participatory culture as human–community–machine interactions

Fandom as an interpretive community is the frontier for rich insights into the multi-layered interactions and practices between individual users, communities and intelligent machines. To understand the challenges and opportunities Artificial Intelligence (AI) presents to contemporary media and culture, we discuss how fans engage with AI, as fandom provides meaningful insights into interactions between individual technology users, the collective and machines. We propose rethinking participatory culture as human–community–machine interactions to understand the wider implications of AI to society and culture. We outline three emerging phenomena and potential consequences of fans’ engagement with AI: (1) fan labour made (un)easy, (2) parasocial interactions (un)familiarised and (3) realities (un)settled. Our conceptualisation transcends existing computer science research, which assumes technology users as isolated individuals and also fan studies, which largely focus on text-audience relationships and tend to take digital technologies for granted as the preconditions of fans’ creative and playful practices.