Parasocial interaction is the phenomenon where viewers develop relationships with TV personalities and characters, and it satisfies unmet needs in real life, especially for lonely or isolated people. The degree of interaction depends on factors such as similarity, attractiveness, and perceived friendliness. Recent studies have looked at the influence of interactive blogs on parasocial interaction.
The first studies of parasocial interaction began in 1956, when sociologists examined how people viewed news personalities. They found that relationships with news anchors mirrored real-life relationships. Viewers regarded their favorite anchorman as a friend whose opinion was credible. This study found a correlation between the time study participants spent watching television and the degree of parasocial interaction.
Later experiments looked at soap operas and how relationships develop through frequent viewing. These studies found that viewers felt genuine concern about what happened to the stars of these shows. Viewers developed an intimacy with the characters, and the events portrayed on television impacted their lives. Parasocial interaction explains why people cry while watching a wedding on television or feel sad when their favorite character is in emotional pain.
Some researchers have found that parasocial interaction satisfies unmet needs in real life. The more lonely or isolated a person feels, the greater the degree of rapport with television personalities or news anchors. People with few interpersonal relationships felt stronger ties to fictional characters, and women were affected more than men.
This theory also applies to people who read historical novels, mostly read by women. A study of these novels and parasocial interaction found that some women relate to the heroines of the novels and consider them friends. Readers form a mental image of the character from descriptive passages in the books and might identify with the character’s interpersonal struggle to find love. Research has found that some women used these novels as an escape from the loneliness in their lives.
The degree of parasocial interaction depends on several factors. Characters who display attitudes similar to the viewer’s elicit a related response. Attractiveness also plays a role in how people react to TV characters, along with perceived friendliness. In radio personalities, voice quality might suggest a parasocial interaction. Some viewers and listeners interviewed for the research said they wanted to meet or talk to the person they considered a friend and missed when they were away from the show.
More recently, studies have been conducted on the influence of interactive blogs on the Internet and the effect on parasocial interaction. One study looked at political candidates who provided the ability to interact via the Web. It found a perceived intimacy developed in some people who read or blogged. Some people have rated these relationships as important as real-life relationships.
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