Before & After

How have parasocial relationships changed because of social media?

Our relationships with celebrities have evolved. We have always had people we put on a pedestal with admiration, but now it’s for different reasons.

Because of social media, PSRs are much easier to form because social media gives the illusion of genuine intimacy with a celebrity. 

Before

There were shifts in the way we interacted with celebrities, but it was more gradual, like most things in history. It didn’t happen the second the internet became accessible. 

Famous people seemed more mysterious and unreachable before the internet. 

One of the first huge changes in media and how people got access to celebrities was in the late 20th century.

Before the 1980s, celebrities reached audiences in large numbers. This is because there was so much less intense competition between TV channels, magazines, etc. than there is now.

In the past, when individuals turned on their televisions, they primarily had access to a limited selection of major networks, such as ABC, NBC, BBC, and CBS. As a result, if an artist was featured on one of these channels for their singing talent, they had the opportunity to reach millions of viewers simply because audiences had fewer entertainment options. This widespread exposure played a significant role in the immense popularity of artists like Michael Jackson.

However, beginning in the 1980s, the media landscape underwent a shift known as demassification. Aspiring artists gained access to hundreds of new platforms to showcase their talents, while audiences were presented with an increasing number of entertainment choices. As a result, media consumption became highly competitive, and celebrities no longer had the same guaranteed reach like icons Elvis Presley, The Beatles, and Michael Jackson.

With social media and the internet and all the media streaming services, an individual can easily binge 10 plus hours.

There's absolutely no time constraints on how much you can engage with the content you're working with, which leads to not only accelerated relationships forming, but very strong relationships forming.

With social media, fans now feel that their fave celebrities owe them more and they deserve updates on their favorite celebrity’s life.

Stars often share personal information on their social medias. For example, Katy Perry tweeted 12 times over the course of 1 week, saying quirky things such as:

• “I love tacos”

• “I like when the cherry blossoms bloom”

These messages can give an illusion of familiarity between Katy Perry and her fans. This can lead her fans to have a fixation.

Celebrities who use social media can take the matter of publicity themselves, and would not need to hire a publicist. Direct communication with the public is much more common with celebrities now than before.

Famous people today don’t lack depth, it’s the way they’re constructed in the media. Media often glosses over their accomplishments (if any) in favor of their personal lives/scandal. People now tend to judge people not based on their deeds, but on their personalities in the media.

Celebrities and fans now have more opportunity to interact with each other online. Fans can comment directly on celebs posts, like them, repost them, share them. There is a high chance the celebrity who posted it will see their comment & like it, especially if it is the first like or comment on the post. Then that celebrity can respond to that comment in seconds, like the comment, and go to the fan’s profile.

Overall, modern day social media and the internet make parasocial relationships easier to form and strengthen the illusion of a real relationship.