In today’s digital world, fans no longer just follow celebrities online from a distance, they feel like they know them on a personal level. This phenomenon, known as a parasocial relationship, has become increasingly common with the rise of social media platforms like ‘Instagram’ and ‘TikTok,’ with famous people such as Beyonce, One Direction, Taylor Swift, and Justin Bieber. Although these relationships can seem harmless at first, they can have great negative effects on mental health and emotional well being, especially among teenagers.
Parasocial relationships occur when a person develops strong emotional attachments to someone, where interactions are solely one sided. These relationships are so damaging to teens in particular because this just adds to their continued dependency to social media platforms.
The concept of die-hard fans isn’t new by any stretch of the imagination, but the new-found access to every aspect of our favorite celebrities’ lives is what’s beginning to become concerning. There is no problem whatsoever with following up on the newest pop culture moments, but viewing a complete stranger as a close friend is troubling.
“I think I probably have a parasocial relationship with all of One Direction, Justin Bieber, and Taylor Swift,” sophomore Mattie Hamilton-Peavy said. “I interact with these people by keeping up with what they do, going to their concerts, and talking about them a lot.”
Countless of others teens would say the same about numerous celebrities, one very relevant example of this is Taylor Swift and her fans, as known as Swifties. She is an extremely talented and successful artist, but she definitely contributes to the cult-like fashion of her fan base. Swift encourages the idea that she knows and cares about her fans on a personal level, which makes perfect sense as to why her fans feel so passionate towards her.
“Research has found that [parasocial relationships] can contribute to anxiety, loneliness, and social isolation, especially if they involve social media,” says a KQED article, How can Parasocial Relationships Affect Your Life? “And there’s research that suggests that intense parasocial relationships can be linked to addiction to social media platforms. And if someone feels a parasocial connection to someone who displays problematic or negative behavior or traits, then that person might also pick up some of those things as well.”
One of the most concerning impacts of parasocial relationships is how they affect teens’ expectations of real-world friendships. Teens may start to compare their own relationships to those they have online, leading to unrealistic and unhealthy expectations from their loved ones. These obsessions can also lead to teens spending less time with others and doing things they enjoy, leading to more time in isolation.
Pop culture is meant to be a fun, light hearted form of entertainment and distraction, not something that pulls people away from their real lives. The bottom line is, it is immensely important for teens to set boundaries for themselves regarding social media and how deep their obsessions really go.
