Internet
parasocial
What does parasocial mean?
Describes the imaginary intimacy fans feel with celebrities, streamers, podcasters or authors who don't know they exist. Fuelled by Instagram stories and 'just-us' creator energy. Lobbed as a diagnosis when someone's behaviour toward a fave gets unhinged.
"Crying because Taylor Swift didn't follow you back is peak parasocial behaviour."
Origin
Coined by sociologists Donald Horton and R. Richard Wohl in a 1956 paper about TV viewers' relationships with on-screen personalities. Took on a second life on stan Twitter and BookTok as fans started using it self-critically — or as an accusation.
Frequently asked questions
What does parasocial mean?
It describes a one-sided emotional bond a fan forms with a celebrity who has no idea they exist.
How do you use parasocial in a sentence?
"Her attachment to the streamer is completely parasocial — he's never even seen her messages."
Where does the term parasocial come from?
It comes from mid-20th-century social science research on the one-sided relationships audiences form with media figures.
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