Chicken :cqlgusu:
I know I'm posting a lot this week. I've been unwell so I've spent a lot of time on the couch or in bed, watching videos, reading fic, knitting, & not much else.
I'm not even sure if I've left the apartment building since last Sunday...?
It's likely that I'm missing in-person human interactions & so I'm interacting more online plus getting more sucked in to parasocial relationships.
Chicken :cqlgusu:
I used to think parasocial relationships were inherently unhealthy, but I don't think that so much any more.
They can be quite comforting, especially when you don't have as much opportunity to build two-way social interactions.
I do think it's important to recognise parasociality for what it is, & not have expectations or entitlement about what the public figure is supposed to do for their audience.
It's also not great when mutual relationships get deprioritised in favour of parasocial ones.
Chicken :cqlgusu:
@s1m0n4 thank you! I'm starting to feel a bit better, & hopeful that I'll be back to normal next week
s1m0n4
@lookitmychicken I hope you get better soon!
Chicken :cqlgusu:
But since many of my closest friendships have grown out of us being fans of the same stories and/or celebrities, I see the upside.
People who have parasocial relationships with the same public figures as me often have a lot of other things in common with me. & we have a lot of shared background knowledge about the same subjects that we can obsessively discuss to pieces.
I have occasionally fallen into the trap of trusting someone too quickly because we share a fannish interest, but it's rare.
alightbuthappypen
@lookitmychicken My understanding of the concept of parasocial relationships is that being a fan of someone, following their lives, or taking comfort from them isn't inherently parasocial, it's the expectation of reciprocation that makes it that way?
I mean I admit I haven't looked up the official definition or anything, but I thought the term was coined in response to the specific phenomenon of blurred boundaries between individuals and their fans caused by social media
Chicken :cqlgusu:
@alightbuthappypen
I've seen different definitions of parasociality, but I haven't done extensive research on it, just read a few articles.
As I understand it, a parasocial relationship is one where you get the illusion of closeness to a public figure who knows nothing at all about you.
If you don't have expectations that you're entitled to anything from the public figure, it can still be parasocial. I think.
Chicken :cqlgusu:
@alightbuthappypen it gets iffy when the audience gets confused about boundaries.
So you can have healthy parasociality (e.g. kids learning more effectively when they trust Elmo to teach them stuff) & unhealthy parasociality (e.g. celebrity stalkers) & a range of options in between the extremes.
alightbuthappypen
@lookitmychicken Ah I stand corrected then! (also apparently the term was coined in 1956...I suppose I just didn't really hear it around until the last few years)
Chicken :cqlgusu:
@alightbuthappypen i didn't really hear much of it either, until my kiddo became a streamer.
Thinking about it in that context, I mostly considered the negative aspects.
But lately I've been thinking about the positive aspects too.
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