Parasocial Research Articles

Bentuk Interaksi Parasosial pada Penggemar K-Pop Melalui Media Sosial X

The Korean wave has become very popular, especially in the field of music often referred to as “Korean pop” or “K-pop”, which is a fusion of various popular music genres from South Korea. With the internet and social media being easily accessible, K-pop in Indonesia is growing very fast. This research looks at the phenomenon of fan behavior towards their idols on social media, which leads to parasocial interactions because the ease of social media makes fans feel close to their idols. In parasocial interaction, a person acts towards media figures as if they are where they are. Parasocial interaction has forms including task attraction, identification attraction, and romantic attraction. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to find out how the form of parasocial interactions carried out by K-pop fans on X social media. This research uses a descriptive methodology that uses interviews and observations to collect data. The results showed that all informants actively engage in parasocial interactions with their idol, NCT, through social media X. This shows that the type of parasocial interaction that K-pop fans do on social media X. This shows that the types of parasocial interactions that occur in NCT fans through social media X are task attraction, identification attraction, and romantic attraction.

Using generative artificial intelligence (ChatGPT) for travel purposes: parasocial interaction and tourists’ continuance intention

Purpose This study aims to investigate what drives tourists to continue using ChatGPT for travel purposes. This study focuses on the impact of parasocial interaction on tourists’ intention to continue using ChatGPT. It also examines how satisfaction mediates this relationship and the role of technology anxiety as a moderating factor. Design/methodology/approach Using a sample of 606 tourists in popular Vietnamese tourist destinations, this study used the SPSS PROCESS macro (Model 4 and Model 14) to estimate the research model. Findings The study found that tourists’ satisfaction and parasocial interactions positively influenced their intention to continue using ChatGPT for travel purposes. The tourists’ satisfaction was found to play a partial role in mediating the relationship between parasocial interactions and their intention to continue using ChatGPT. Technology anxiety was found to be a negative moderator of the direct effect of satisfaction and the indirect impact of parasocial interaction on this intention. Originality/value This study stands out as a pioneering exploration into the novel intersection of parasocial interaction, satisfaction, and technology anxiety and their influence on tourists’ intention to persist with using ChatGPT for travel-related purposes.

Smartphone Ownership, Minors’ Well-being, and Parental Mediation Strategies. An Analysis in the Context of Social Media Influencers

Although smartphone ownership among minors has become an important social phenomenon, its impact on children’s and adolescents’ well-being, as well as the mechanisms by which this might take place are not yet sufficiently well-established. To date, no research has examined the effect of smartphone ownership on the well-being of minors through the consumption of influencer-generated content, nor has it explored the effectiveness of the main prevention strategies employed by parents in this context. To fill those gaps, 800 Spanish minors (50% female) aged from 8 to 16 years old (M = 12.33, SD = 2.38) participated in a correlational study in which the ownership of electronic devices, the consumption of influencer generated content, the parasocial relationship with the influencer, and the most common parental mediation strategies were considered. The results showed a positive association between electronic device ownership and psychological discomfort, problematic usage, and imitation of dangerous behaviors. This association was mediated by the consumption of influencer-generated content and the parasocial relationship established by the minor with the influencer. Regarding preventive strategies, only active mediation was inversely related to poorer well-being indicators, however this positive effect significantly decreased when a smartphone or a similar electronic device was owned by the minor (vs. no owned). These findings contribute to the understanding of how smartphone ownership can affect the well-being of children, emphasizing the need for thoughtful consideration when deciding whether to provide smartphones to minors.

Digital marketing innovation and industrial marketing: evidence from restaurants' service robots

PurposeThis study aims to explore how perceived anthropomorphism, perceived warmth, and customer–artificial intelligence (AI) assisted exchange (CAIX) of service robots affect customers’ satisfaction via digital marketing innovation.Design/methodology/approachA customer satisfaction model was formulated based on the perspective of parasocial relationships and hybrid intelligence; 236 completed questionnaires were returned by partial least squares structural equation modeling analysis.FindingsThis study demonstrates that perceived anthropomorphism, perceived warmth and CAIX's impact on digital marketing innovation were supported, and customer satisfaction impacted the continued intention to use service robots.Originality/valueRestaurants that leverage service robots differentiate themselves from competitors by offering innovative and technologically advanced dining experiences. Integrating AI capabilities sets these restaurants apart and attracts tech-savvy customers who value convenience and efficiency.

Studi Sosial Pengaruh Menonton Berlebihan dan Kesepian Terhadap Interaksi Parasosial

Tendency limits need to pay attention to the quality of life so that everything is not excessive, a culture of healthy living must continue to be built and implemented, good living habits need to be managed regularly so that the lifestyle persists for each individual, such as watching excessively and feeling lonely in the life of parasocial interaction. The aim of this research is to determine the effect of excessive viewing and loneliness on parasocial interactions. This research method uses a quantitative approach. The subjects of this research were 76 students who were students of the Faculty of Pharmacy and Clinical Pharmacy. The data collection method used was a Likert scale, namely a scale of excessive viewing, loneliness, and a scale of parasocial interaction. The results of the research show that: (1) there is a significant influence on excessive watching and loneliness on parasocial interactions among students Pharmacy with a calculated F value = 14.197; (2) there is a negative and significant influence effect of excessive watching on parasocial interactions with beta coefficient (β) = -0.116, t = -0.976; (3) there is a positive and significant influence of loneliness on parasocial interactions with a beta coefficient (β) = 0.612, t = 5.162.

Fostering YouTube followers’ stickiness through social contagion: The role of digital influencer' characteristics and followers’ compensation psychology

In the information age, many individuals turn to digital influencers' videos on social media as a source of stress relief, emotional support, and a sense of friendship-like connection, and this process of emotional transmission is well described by social contagion theory. Given the limited research on the role of follower stickiness in determining the market value of digital influencers, we integrate the characteristics of digital influencers, incorporating social compensation theory and empathy as follower traits, and demonstrate a positive impact on parasocial interaction. An online survey was conducted with 597 participants who had watched digital influencer videos. This study highlights the role of social contagion theory, offering a novel perspective that highlights the importance of improving followers' online social well-being and stickiness after interacting with digital influencers through emotional contagion. Furthermore, our findings highlight the mediating role of online social well-being in strengthening stickiness between followers and digital influencers.

Beloved Bingeable Breakups? The Impact of Binge Watching on Retrospective Imaginative Involvement, Parasocial Relationships, and Parasocial Breakups

ABSTRACT Binge watching represents a relatively new means of engaging with television narrative that fundamentally changes how we relate to stories and characters on screen. The present study was designed to examine how binge watching indirectly impacts parasocial breakups through retrospective imaginative involvement, and positive and negative parasocial relationships. We also examined how the liking of a given character (liked vs. disliked) may moderate these indirect paths. We conducted a quantitative mixed-design study to explore these effects. We found that binge watching positively predicted RII, which positively predicted positive, but not negative, PSR. Both positive and negative PSR positively predicted parasocial breakup intensity. Character liking moderated the indirect path through positive PSR, but not through negative PSR. These results and their implications are discussed in detail.

ANALISIS PERSEPSI MASYARAKAT DUNIA TERHADAP VIRTUAL YOUTUBER YANG MENAWARKAN PENGALAMAN KEKASIH

This research investigates the global public's perception of the phenomenon of Virtual YouTubers (VTubers) who offer romantic experiences such as "boyfriend" or "girlfriend experience." Involving sentiment analysis, this study collected and classified 1623 comments from social media platforms using the Microsoft Azure algorithm. The analysis results indicate that the majority of the public holds a negative view of such relationships, depicting the complexity of social interactions in the digital world. These findings underscore the importance of understanding the impact of VTubers' phenomenon in the context of parasocial relationships. The research recommends increased discussions through other social platforms and the development of more advanced sentiment analysis models for a deeper understanding of this phenomenon. The research findings emphasize the relevance and complexity of VTubers' phenomenon in today's digital culture, highlighting the importance of developing social understanding of human interactions in a virtual context.

Jumpa Penggemar Artis dari Lensa Interaksi Parasosial Virtual

Meeting fans is something that is difficult to realize during the Covid-19 pandemic. However, the entertainment industry reproduces the relationship between fans and celebrities through social media-mediated fan encounters in order to balance the impact of business and intimate relationships with fans. Using a qualitative content analysis approach, the author explores celebrity and fan interactions at South Korean celebrity Lee Sung Kyung's fanmeeting via TikTok using Horton and parasocial theory. Previous research has not explained the interactions between celebrities and fans when fanmeetings take place in virtual spaces with a qualitative approach. The form of virtual fanmeetings actually repeats previous offline fanmeetings. Both sell artist personas as commodities. However, the absence of physical interaction makes these virtual fanmeetings very difficult to distinguish from broadcasts on conventional television. The author believes that fanmeetings are offline products that cannot be replaced with virtual content because they do not involve voluntary interactions such as hugs, handshakes, or other physical interactions that play a role in physical and emotional intimacy. This research strengthens Horton & Wohl's (11956) that the interaction between the audience and the celebrity is actually one-sided, not dialectical, controlled by the celebrity, and there is no mutual development of the relationship. Furthermore, celebrity parasocial interaction in this study is shown as "selective self-presentation of the sender of the message" in mediated communication.

“Not all travel videos are equal.” Examining the effects of short travel videos on travel intentions and electronic word-of-mouth

Although short-form videos are treated as an effective marketing tool for destinations to attract potential tourists’ attention, what characteristics of short travel videos stimulate potential tourists to involve in destinations and the influence of users’ inertia behavior of viewing short travel videos on its promotion efficiency remains poorly studied. Thus, this study put forward a conceptual model to investigate the power of content novelty of short travel videos and parasocial relationships on users’ involvement behavior and explored the moderating role of inertia between involvement and users’ travel intentions. Partial least squares (PLS) path modeling was applied to evaluate the linkage between variables, in which 212 valid questionnaires were collected via private messages to users who commented on or posted relevant short travel videos. Data results revealed that content novelty and parasocial relationships significantly influence users’ involvement behavior, further predicting travel intention and electronic word-of-mouth. Inertia behavior negatively moderates users’ intention to travel; their browsing behavior primarily serves as a means of passing time, but they do nothing significant. The findings provided a novel viewpoint on the existing destination marketing literature in short travel videos by testing the interactive role of inertia with involvement. Further implications will be discussed below.

Increasing the Effectiveness of Public Service Announcements Among Gen Z by Using Influencer Advertising

In this study, we aim to explore the effectiveness of influencer advertising in the realm of public policy. More specifically, we will be examining key factors that can potentially increase psychological reactance among individuals belonging to Generation Z when they are processing anti-binge drinking Public Service Announcements. We then discuss how collaboration between federal agencies and social media influencers can overcome the hurdles posed by psychological reactance. By drawing upon the existing research on persuasive messages, psychological reactance, influencer advertising, and parasocial relationships, our findings will hold significant value for policymakers in disseminating impactful Public Service Announcements that resonate with Generation Z.

When employees become streamers: the mediating power of friendship and self-congruity

研究目的本研究旨在调查员工直播主对消费者购买行为和品牌形象的影响, 以及了解友谊和自我一致性在其中的中介作用。研究方法本研究提出了一个框架, 以解释员工直播主的特质通过友谊和自我一致性的中介对消费者行为和品牌形象的影响。在中国收集了225份有效的调查问卷数据, 并采用PLS-SEM分析来测试假设关系的统计显著性。研究发现研究发现员工直播主的四种特质 - 可信度、吸引力、反应能力和专业性 - 通过自我一致性和友谊的中介对消费者的购买行为和品牌形象产生了显著影响。研究创新本研究深入探讨了员工直播主在消费者决策和品牌形象塑造中的不同作用, 为学者们理解消费者与员工直播主之间PSI（伪社交互动）的因素提供了理论基础, 为直播和消费者行为领域的日益增长的文献体系做出了贡献。

THE ETHICAL IMPORTANCE OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IN B2B MARKETING: A CRITICAL ANALYSIS

The article discusses some relevant philosophical and methodological aspects of the analysis of the processes of digitalization of markets and the introduction of digital technologies in business management related to digital ethics. The empirical research conducted by the author is aimed at identifying current trends in the implementation of artificial intelligence in marketing, the attitude of company management to the implementation of these processes, awareness of ethical aspects and problems of interaction with consumers. The goal of the work is to advance the issues of determining the attributes of digital ethics for the use of artificial intelligence in business: assessing the awareness of new opportunities and risks in Russian entrepreneurship. These issues naturally attract the attention of Russian. In this regard, a number of ethical problems relevant to the digital space are identified, such as problems of information wars and cyber attacks, problems of information security, privacy of private life, primacy of information sources, digital education technologies, transformation of moral values, in particular , perceptions of cruelty and violence in the digital entertainment industry, ethics of virtual communities, the use of artificial intelligence and virtual reality in production teams. The issues of developing the business environment, in particular, the reputational risks of companies in the context of the emergence of a new digital ethics, also deserve special attention . The wide public response to the ethical aspects of digitalization of various aspects of public relations has led to the development of a number of international and Russian documents that bring to the fore the observance of ethical principles and norms in the new environment of life and development of society. About two dozen large Russian companies and organizations signed the first Russian “Code of Ethics for Artificial Intelligence” at the end of 2021. The Artificial Intelligence Code states that responsibility in the application of this technology must always remain with humans. Its development is provided for by the AI Development Strategy until 2030 and the federal project “Artificial Intelligence”. For now, compliance with the norms of this document is voluntary. There are similar documents in 20 countries, 35 large companies in the world already have their own codes, in Russia - Sberbank and Yandex (Artificial Intelligence...). At the end of 2022, the European Union adopted the European Declaration on European Digital Rights and Principles (European Digital Rights.). Keywords: digital ethics, business ethics, artificial intelligence, marketing, parasocial relationships.

The Influence of Parasocial Relations on Contemporary Chinese Young Women's Idol Worship: A Study on Fan Culture

With the booming development of socio-economic and Internet technology, social culture has also continued to improve and enrich the times. Fan culture is given a new cultural connotation, and the fans cover the coverage of all sectors of society, which has attracted widespread attention. This study explores the correlation between parasocial relationships and celebrity worship among young Chinese women, utilizing questionnaires to examine how social connections influence celebrity worship behavior and its impact on well-being. The findings reveal a significant association between parasocial connections with celebrities and the level of celebrity worship. Despite potential adverse effects, celebrity worship provides emotional support and fosters a positive outlook on the future through parasocial relationships. The research also delves into the psychological mechanisms underlying the formation of these relationships, emphasizing the role of social media and celebrity culture. Understanding celebrity worship among young Chinese women contributes to our understanding of fan behavior, personal identity development, and the broader socio-cultural context of media and celebrity in contemporary society.

Hubungan Parasosial Army di Weverse (Studi Pada Komunitas Army Balikpapan)

Parasocial relationships is the participation of fans who connect with an idol and become emotionally attached to them because the process satisfy each fan individually. The parasocial relationship that occurs between fans of the K-pop group BTS and their fans, namely ARMY, is established on the digital media Weverse. The aim of this research is to understand the description of parasocial relationships by looking at the levels of fan parasocial interaction: Entertainment Social Value, Intense Personal Feeling, Bonderline Pantalogical Tendency. This research employs the phenomenological method, a qualitative approach that allows for detailed observation and hearing of people's individual explanations and understandings based on their experiences. The sampling technique in this research used purposive sampling technique. Sampling took the form of observation, documentation and in-depth interviews as primary data analyzed using the Miles and Huberman model. According to the study's findings, fans' emotional attached to BTS were shown by ARMY's parasocial interactions, which included motivation aspect at the Entertainment Social Value level, intensity aspect at the Intense Personal Feeling level, and obsession aspect, willing to do anything behaviour, irrational and uncontrollble thinking at the Bonderline Pantalogical Tendency level.

Fictional friends and enemies as first aid after ostracism? Experimentally investigating the potential of para-/orthosocial relationships in belongingness need restoration and emotion regulation

Abstract Being socially excluded seriously threatens individuals’ need to belong and emotional well-being. This article investigates to what extent different coping strategies help overcome these detrimental effects: thinking about real-life friends/enemies (i.e., orthosocial relationships, OSRs) and thinking about (dis)liked media characters (i.e., parasocial relationships, PSRs). Across three experiments (NPilot = 129, NStudy1 = 132, NStudy2 = 855), we first induced social exclusion using a virtual ball-tossing game. Afterward, we manipulated different relationship types and valences and compared them to non- or less-relational control conditions. As hypothesized, belongingness and emotional well-being increased from pre- to post-coping. This effect was fully mediated by perceived relationship closeness to the respective person(a). Highlighting that PSRs represent more than surrogates (i.e., secondary replacements of OSR), both relationship types did not differ in coping effectiveness. Moreover, positive relationships were more effective in fulfilling both coping goals than negative ones.

The impact of virtual influencer advertising on consumer response: a moderated chain mediation model based on mind perception and parasocial interaction

ABSTRACT This study explore how virtual influencer advertisements affect consumer response. Based on the SOR theory, an eyetracking experiment with 76 participants and a questionnaire survey with 298 participants were conducted to construct a moderated chain mediation model. The results show that emotional virtual influencers attract more advertisement attention and exert more positive impacts on consumer response than professional ones. Mind perception and parasocial interaction act as chain mediators, while the impact of parasocial interaction on unfamiliar products endorsed is more significant. These findings open up the “black box” of virtual influencer reactions and provide guidance for virtual emotional marketing.

Patient influencer: the impact of homophily on value co-creation behaviour in online health communities

ABSTRACT The world has witnessed a rapid rise of online health communities (OHCs) where patients can create a powerful network of support and resources to make a meaningful difference in people’s health lives. Despite this rapid rise, healthcare authorities and organisations are under enormous pressure to create a sustainable environment for OHCs. Prior studies revealed that encouraging patient value co-creation behaviour (VCB) is substantially beneficial for successful OHCs; however, what factors influence these patient behaviours to co-create value is still unknown. To fill this gap, this study uses the service-dominant logic perspective of value co-creation theory and discloses how homophily between patient influencers and patients in OHCs effect VCB. The data was collected through a self-administered survey from 422 patients who are users of OHC in China and was analysed via partial least squares structural equation modelling and fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA). The results revealed that homophily positively influences VCBs, i.e. participation behaviour (PB) and citizenship behaviour (CB). A parasocial relationship only moderates the relations between homophily and (PB), whereas the influencer ethical interaction capability significantly moderates the relationship of both homophily with patient PB and CB. Furthermore, the fsQCA findings signify the robustness of the study model.

Mentor or partner: Matching effect of para-social interaction and product type on purchase intention in live-streaming commerce

Live-streaming commerce differs from traditional e-commerce by bringing consumers and sellers closer together, enhancing the perception of para-social interaction through real-time interactivity. Based on para-social interaction theory, this study proposed two types of para-social interaction: mentor-oriented and partner-oriented. And explored the impact of para-social interaction and product type on purchase intention, mediated by trust. Additionally, this research examined the moderating influence of individual construal level, in combination with the construal level theory. The results of three scenario experiments showed that mentor-oriented para-social interaction promotes purchase intention more than partner-oriented para-social interaction when purchasing utilitarian products. However, partner-oriented para-social interaction promotes purchase intention more than mentor-oriented para-social interaction in the purchase decision of hedonic products. In addition, the construal level moderates the matching impact of para-social interaction and products type on purchase intention. Studying from para-social interaction type perspective, this paper provided insights into the research of consumption behavior in the field of live-streaming commerce and marketing.

The formation of parasocial relationships in tourism social media: A rational and emotional trust‐building process

AbstractThis study examines the effects of parasocial interactions on relationships and behavior in the context of tourism social media. Based on a dual process of trust formation, this study theorizes rational trust and emotional trust as part of a parasocial interaction process to explain the formation of this form of relationship. The study results (N = 424) reveal that information characteristics and influencer characteristics are identified as critical predictors of rational trust and emotional trust by the respondents. Furthermore, trust amplifies parasocial relationships as well as increasing consequent trust behaviors, such as information adoption and word of mouth. This study thus contributes to the literature by illuminating how the trust‐building process forms parasocial relationships. Meanwhile, it also provides insights into the mechanism of parasocial relationship formation for theoretical researchers and has important implications for tourism social media administrators.