TIL, I’m in a parasocial relationship
Hi, my name is Cynthia, and my BTS bias is… Just Kidding*. Inspired by a true story, a friend invited me to a BTS concert in Las Vegas. I didn’t know anything about this k-pop group. I was reluctant to go and close-minded about expectations. A few weeks later, social media had me rabbit holing hours of BTS content. I grew curious about each member and became attached to these seven strangers through my tiny phone screen. I was in denial of my time usage increase; I began interrogating what factors contributed to the change in attitude towards BTS. Is it as simple as time spent on a constant subject, or was it something more?
*BTS bias is a group member who is your favorite. Jungkook, JK is the youngest member of BTS.
Introducing parasocial interactions (PSI); what is it?
In 1956, Horton and Wohl defined parasocial interactions (PSI) as an audience’s psychological experience or interaction with the mass media entertainer, specifically through television or radio broadcasting. The key component of a PSI is the audience’s repeated exposure to the entertainer developing a one-sided connection or parasocial relationship (PSR). By this definition, I was engaging in parasocial interactions with BTS through social media and falling deep into a loyal parasocial relationship.
Parasocial interactions are often associated with the rise of the modern digital age. However, PSI is a naturally occurring social behavior phenomenon. PSI and PSR occur between children and imaginary friends, subjects and monarchs, believers and deities, readers and novel characters, or concert-goers and performers. So what makes us susceptible to PSR? What psychological purpose do PSI and PSR serve for us?
Understanding PSI motivations and how they occur
One interpretation of understanding PSI motivations is the Media System Dependency (MSD) theory developed by Ball-Rokeach and Defleur in 1976 to study the role of mass communication through a sociological lens. MSD theory breaks down dependency on media into three primary motivations;
- Understanding holistic experience or perspectives within a scenario
- Orientating how to act or behave within a scenario
- Playing to escape a heightened state within a scenario
MSD theory posited that the more media met these motivations, the more importance and effect media would have on a person.
PSI occurs in a variety of methods. I discovered three common ways PSR are more deeply formed with the audience.
- Narrative involvement, frequently found in educational entertainment or television programming, effectively engages audiences by creating temporary experiences removed from lived realities.
- Perceived realities are similarly related to narrative involvement but explicitly different in that it reduces the spectator barrier. It elicits more genuine or personal interactions like in social media streaming or educational entertainment for children that break the fourth wall, like when Dora the Explorer addresses the viewer.
- Non-verbal cues are less apparent but most prevalent in the usability of digital media. This method highlights the relationship between the application and the end-user. Considerations of effective interactions include ease of use and familiar cognitive associations that foster habit formation. UX and UI considerations of social media platforms’ endless scroll features and preference-learning algorithms are examples of successful non-verbal cues.
Impact and influence of parasocial interactions (PSI)
With a foundational grasp of PSI and how it was first defined as describing a phenomenon between audience and entertainer in mass media communication. I began to scrutinize how PSI have evolved with the maturity of the digital media age and the ethics around their effects.
It’s not farfetched to imagine the significance of PSI and PSR. Good or bad, we get front-row seats to live vicariously through others. Depending on our motivations, we can easily develop attachments and find ourselves among a like-minded community to share our interests. Think about the “Free Britney” movement or how BTS inspired their fans, ARMY, to raise a million-dollar donation for the Black Lives Matter foundation. While we may not consciously recognize the influence of digital habits, what if PSI were designed for social impact?
Designing parasocial interactions (PSI)
I considered older adult healthcare practices to explore how PSI might be designed to change attitudes and behaviors. Less on geriatric care, and more specifically about gerontological care. Gerontological care is a multidisciplinary approach to geriatrics that views aging as a natural process of life by putting first the patient’s human needs to manage tradeoffs of health conditions.
How might we design parasocial interactions to humanize the older adult patients and change doctor attitudes and behaviors around personalized care?
I designed a conceptual model based on a smart environment system within a senior living community. The system parallels a social network system where the patient is the content creator, the doctor is the consuming user, and the smart environment is the platform. The system highlights and emphasizes the aging patient’s human needs and priorities through parasocial interactions. In this paradigm, the doctor seeks the patient to meet their parasocial needs to provide better care.
Data generation occurs in the smart environment through sensors, actuators, smart devices, and the internet of things networks. Data captured is analyzed by processing and further synthesized by healthcare providers. The more data gathered, the better and more holistic understanding of a day in the patient’s life.
The primary feature is a smart display placed in the home’s central hub that interacts with the patient by simulating a video call. The smart display video call aims to log the patient’s mobility, speech patterns, and overall well-being. Healthcare providers would access and utilize the data generated by the patient through a web application. The goal would be for the doctor to provide personalized treatment plans for quality of life versus treating a list of symptoms. Referring back to the MSD theories, three primary media use motivations are understanding, orientating, and playing — The doctor’s leading motivation would be to understand a day in the patient’s life and consequently orient or evaluate the best care plan for the patient.
Reflecting on parasocial interactions (PSI)
My project exploring PSI in gerontological care is one example where PSI could be designed to positively improve care for older adults and shift mindset focused on symptoms to quality of life. The future of technological advancement adds another layer to the complexity of PSI. With artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning increasingly automating tedious tasks, I anticipate a change in the definition of parasocial interactions. Are parasocial interactions purely between humans? For example, brand loyalty and marketing strategies increasingly emphasize personalization, authenticity, and connectivity with AI, such as digital shoppers or customer relations through social media comments. How are parasocial relationships evaluated in human-computer interactions?
While PSI may be a ubiquitous and seamless experience in the modern digital age, I’d like to challenge the UX community to evaluate how our designed interactions have ethical implications or unintended consequences for direct and indirect stakeholders. By recognizing PSI around us and understanding why we seek them, we can begin to articulate effective strategies and outcomes for PSI and PSR. I’d invite you to reflect on parasocial relationships you’ve developed and how parasocial interactions have played a role in your life. Where does PSI occur, and which of the MSD theory motivations incentive PSI for you? Finally, what are your thoughts on PSI, and how would you imagine designing PSI for social change?
Thank you for taking the time to read this! If you’re interested to learn more about parasocial phenomenons, here are a few links:
- Watch on Youtube Imaginary friends and real-world consequences: parasocial relationships, Tedx Talk by Jennifer Barnes
- Watch on Youtube Parasocial relationships, Tedx Talk by Linh Nguyen
- Read The Parasocial Phenomenon by Annette Choi
- View my conceptual model presentation exploring parasocial interactions in gerontological care. See more UX work on this in my portfolio case study appendix.
