What is a Parasocial Relationship?
As social media platforms have woven themselves into daily life over the past decades, they have recently changed how people interact with a variety of public figures. A new kind of relationship has emerged. One that feels intimate and personal, yet it is entirely one-sided, known as a parasocial relationship. In which individuals feel a connection between themselves and a famous person whom they do not know. Unlike traditional celebrity fandoms, where fans could be updated on their idols’ whereabouts daily or weekly via tabloids and magazines, today’s parasocial bonds are fueled by constant updates that are brought about by social media platforms such as TikTok and Instagram.
1. Influencers
“There’s nothing wrong with a celebrity or ‘comfort character’ or even a vlogger/social media influencer boosting your mood… but we’re not their friends.” – Stitch, Fan Studies Scholar
Many influencers now have platforms that allow them to share different aspects of their lives, including morning routines, relationship updates and career struggles, creating the impression of personal closeness for their followers. Social media’s interactive features (comments, direct messages and live chats) further enhance this sense of connection, allowing audiences to feel as though they are actively participating in the influencer’s life. As a result, followers often perceive influencers as their companions or role models.
Influencer Katie Fang’s viral video of her crying before work that made her ‘famous’.
Fans may turn to influencers for advice or reassurance, treating their content as a form of emotional support. However, because the interaction is inherently unreciprocated, it can also foster unhealthy patterns of dependence. Followers may develop heightened expectations for attention or engagement from the influencer which can lead to disappointment should these expectations not be met.
These dynamics are reinforced by the design of social media itself. Platforms are engineered to reward constant engagement through notifications and algorithmic feeds, which can intensify emotional investment and make it difficult for followers to maintain a healthy sense of perspective. In one such occasion, fans of TikTok creator Charli D’Amelio have reported feelings of intense attachment to her, with some followers describing her content as a daily source of comfort and routine.
Not all parasocial relationships are driven by admiration or affection. In many cases, they can also manifest as hostility, entitlement or obsession. Public figures have been frequently subjected to online harassment and even death threats, often from individuals who feel emotionally invested in their lives despite having no personal connection to them.
A prominent example is Hailey Bieber, a model who has been married to Justin Bieber for seven years, who faced widespread backlash after being accused of bullying her husband’s ex-girlfriend, Selena Gomez. Allegations that she was mocking or imitating Gomez sparked a wave of harassment from fans, resulting in Hailey Bieber losing nearly one million followers within a single week. The intensity of the backlash was so extreme that even major brands such as Duolingo (a language learning app) participated in the online mockery alongside Gomez’s supporters. This incident demonstrates how parasocial attachments can quickly turn toxic, transforming loyalty into widespread harassment fueled by emotional investment.
2. K-pop Idols
“Zhang Hao is like my emotional support. I look up to him when things get tough” – Nur Nilam
In the case of the K-pop industry, this dynamic operates in a far more structured and intentional way. K-pop idols are introduced to the audience through carefully managed systems designed to maximise emotional attachment. Entertainment companies actively encourage fans to feel personally connected to idols, framing this connection as a core part of the fan experience. Idols are trained, not only in singing and dancing, but also in fan communication, media behaviour, and emotional presentation, a strategic cultivation of closeness that heightens fans’ emotional investment, making the relationship feel personally meaningful despite its one-sided nature.
Platforms such as Bubble and Fromm are examples of paid messaging services which allow idols to address fans directly. The user is able to enter a private chatroom with only the idol that they have subscribed to. 
Stray Kids’ Bang Chan’s Bubble message
A common feature of these apps is that they allow the idols to use an automated function which inserts the fan’s name into generic messages. Fans often take advantage of this feature and set their usernames to personal nicknames or roles, enhancing the relationship. The use of affectionate language and personal anecdotes can make fans feel as though they are a part of a select inner circle. Even though the idols are often reading and responding to thousands of messages, the communication is framed in a way that feels personal and reciprocal.
Live streaming is also an integral part of how K-pop idols interact with their fanbase. Bang Chan, leader of popular K-pop group Stray Kids, hosted weekly livestreams from 2019 to 2023, named “Channie’s Room”. Bang Chan would listen to music, read fan comments, give advice and openly discuss his thoughts, worries, and experiences, with many fans viewing it as a safe space and a source of comfort. For those struggling with loneliness, stress, or mental health challenges, these livestreams often function as emotional support, offering reassurance and a feeling of being heard.
However, some fans began to rely on Channie’s Room as their primary coping mechanism. The perception that he was speaking to and caring for fans reinforced the illusion of mutual emotional exchange. When Channie’s Room was discontinued following a controversy, many fans reported feelings of loss and abandonment, a response that highlights how deeply embedded such content can become in a fan’s emotional routine and mental well-being.
The situation also underscored the psychological pressure placed on both fans and idols. Fans may feel guilty for needing emotional reassurance from an idol, while idols can feel an overwhelming sense of responsibility for their audience’s mental health. Bang Chan himself has spoken about the emotional weight of being a constant source of comfort, revealing how parasocial expectations can negatively impact idols as well.
Beyond digital platforms, K-pop fan meetings further intensify relationships by transforming online emotional intimacy into controlled, in-person experiences. Unlike concerts, which maintain a clear performer-audience distance, fan meetings are explicitly designed to create the feeling of personal connection. These events often include Q&A segments, games, personalised messages, and brief one-on-one interactions such as hi-touches (short exchanges with idols, where fans can wave to or high-five them), selfies or album signings. For many fans, this may be the closest they ever come to their idol.
Fan meetings can be emotionally validating, and being acknowledged directly by an idol can evoke intense feelings of joy, affirmation and belonging. For fans who view idols as sources of emotional support, these moments can reinforce the belief that the idol genuinely cares about them. This validation can temporarily boost self-esteem and provide emotional relief.
However, the one-sided relationship between the fan and the idol can also reach extreme levels. A sasaeng (a Korean term meaning “private life”) is an intense fan who engages in stalking and severe invasions of the idol’s privacy. Sasaeng behaviour represents the most dangerous form of a parasocial relationship, where the desire for recognition overrides respect, boundaries, and safety. In these cases, fans become so fixated on achieving personal acknowledgement from an idol that they are willing to engage in illegal and harmful actions.
Common sasaeng behaviours include sneaking into private or restricted areas, following idols to airports, dormitories or schedules, hacking personal accounts to leak private information, and in some cases, seeking employment within entertainment companies to gain closer access. They are not only invasive but can also become physically aggressive, grabbing and shouting at idols in public spaces in order to gain attention or photographs.
A recent example of this is when a woman attempted to break into BTS member Jungkook’s home just after his completion of military service. At around midnight, the woman was seen inputting random numbers on a combination lock outside of Jungkook’s home.
This shows how strong parasocial relationships in K-pop can be both positive but also dangerous. While fans may feel comfort and connections, boundaries are important to protect both the idols and fans.
3. Politicians
“A cult is a religion with no political power” – Tom Wolfe, Journalist.
In the world of politics, the greatest power a politician can wield is not policy, but trust. What if this trust is one-sided? How is this trust built?
The most popular contemporary politicians all mastered the dark arts of a parasocial relationship.
From the charismatic Bolsonaro to the populistic Trump, the world was introduced to a new form of politics, one where the central pillar isn’t policy; instead it is a cult of personality. They were always prevalent, but with the wide success of this form of politics provided to the likes of Trump, it was propelled into the mainstream. A lot of other politicians globally followed this playbook, including Farage from the UK, Erdogan from Turkey, Orban from Hungary and many more imitators.
This “trust” is primarily built one-sidedly, where the voter builds an emotional connection with the politician that is not explicitly reciprocated. This relationship is primarily built on spontaneous social media websites, mainly X (formerly known as Twitter). X harbours a reputation for posts being short and personal, especially due to their enforced character limit. However, there are now teams of social media experts and strategists planning each tweet, no matter how raw and unfiltered it may seem, which results in people believing that when they reply to a politician or repost their tweet, they are directly engaging with them. This is not the case.
Yet, those with a media background are more likely to establish a parasocial relationship with their supporters, in the case of Trump and the especially popular former US president Ronald Reagan. This is due to the perceived familiarity and relatability between voters and the politician. For Reagan, his charm and charisma swept America, while for Trump, his relatability and consistent rhetoric strengthened his ties with his supporters. His use of X, and his frequent midnight ramblings were deemed relatable by voters, pulling this distant politician into a friend.
This only poses severe negatives to the future of politics worldwide.
By abusing parasocial relationships, the risk of a cult of personality forming between the politicians and their supporters is substantial. Another mainstream example of this is the Make America Great Again (MAGA) movement created by Trump. The use of short catchphrases like “Build the Wall”, “Lock Her Up”, and more, accompanied by more colloquial language, made Trump appear more relatable to the middle and lower classes, which he wasn’t.
Eventually, the Republican Party became the party of Trump. Every word he said became scripture to supporters, and every tweet became policy and rule. When another member of his party objects and airs their disagreements online, they then face the wrath of Trump and his bandwagon of supporters. When one’s rhetoric is not the same as Trump’s, they become a disloyal traitor, betraying their party.
A clear example of this is Liz Cheney, the daughter of former vice president Dick Cheney, who voted to impeach Trump. She was at the forefront of her party, being the chairwoman of the House Republican Conference. When she “committed treason” against Trump, his outburst of tweets singlehandedly had her removed from her high position, and got her ousted as representative come the next election. It shows that in a cult-of-personality-esque political system, identity reigns supreme over ideology.
What are the consequences?
Democracy itself is a gift, a way for the just rule of a nation by its citizens. By leaning into politics which are built upon parasocial relationships, we are further causing the backsliding of democracy. This phenomenon can be seen globally, with the most prominent example again being in America. It was the beacon of democracy and freedom. Now, when a politician loses an election, instead of congratulating their opponent, they instantly pin their loss to non-existent voter fraud. This causes further polarisation and partisan bias in democracies, which radicalises each voter into hating one another. This hate is then used to prop up figures whose identity is prominent, not their policy.
With this, democracies worldwide are being reshaped and formed into autocracies.
Now, what is a cult with political power? Is it a religion? When opposition is portrayed as betrayal, when loyalty overrides policy, when identity silences ideology, the danger imposed is blatantly obvious. The backsliding of democracy is a crisis happening globally. When populist figures emerge and use their parasocial backing to launch new campaigns, this crisis worsens. Instead of the betterment of the people, politicians now only want one thing — power.
4. Streamers
“For the people who follow me, it [streaming] is the closest you can get to the real me” – Charles Leclerc.
For live-streamers, their engagement with the viewer far outreaches that of a normal influencer. The potential and expectation of high viewer interaction is placed on the streamer, with examples including reading out donation messages, hosting fan events, playing games with their fans and more.
This has culminated in the formation of a “one-and-a-half” sided relationship, compared to the traditional one-way parasocial relationship. Thus, the viewer has a greater emotional investment towards this relationship, causing them to join a paid subscription to the streamer, join daily livestreams, donate huge sums of money for attention, and so on.
On the livestreaming platform Twitch, the most popular category is “Just Chatting”. This shows that viewers tune into the livestream of their favourite streamer not because they play the same game, but because of the streamer’s personality. This category specifically centres on interpersonal engagement with the audience, so the ability to converse with the streamer is always present yet scarce.
So, what are the problems with this?
The line between viewer and streamer gets very diluted and blurred, resulting in some viewers, especially those with a history of mental illness, thinking that they do have a strong personal relationship with the streamer.
This culminates in persistent issues targeting streamers, such as stalking and nefarious fan interactions. A mainstream example of these issues plaguing a streamer is the difficulties faced by the popular streamer Emiru.
On March 3rd 2025, Emiru, along with popular streamers Valkyrae and Cinna, hosted a week-long livestreamed marathon. On a leg of this marathon at the Santa Monica Pier, the streamers were targeted by a stalker. Initially, the stalker asked Emiru for her phone number, which she declined. Yet, she gave him the opportunity to take a photo with her. Half an hour later, the man took off his hoodie and approached Emiru again, posing the same question. After getting rejected yet again, the man grew furious, threatening to kill the streamers, requiring the intervention of park police. This event spurred the early end of the event.
Furthermore, during a streamer convention called Twitchcon, Emiru was assaulted by a fan. The fan grabbed her shoulders and forced himself onto her, attempting to kiss her. Emiru tried to push him away before her security detail shoved the man away.
All of this further highlights the point that female streamers are more likely to be targeted by nefarious individuals compared to their male counterparts. In the historically male-dominated gaming world, the presence of female gamers was an oddity, which resulted in misogynistic behaviours such as catcalling. Additionally, the majority of viewers for female streamers are men, causing a form of parasocial entitlement, where the specific viewer is entitled to the full attention of the streamer and private information because they donated huge sums of money. Some viewers feel that they have the right to physically approach a streamer, due to their “long-standing relationship”, culminating in assaults both sexually and non-sexually, as shown by the previous example.
Now, is streaming the closest a viewer can get to the streamer?
Yes, it is. The interactions of the viewer and streamer are greater than those of a conventional parasocial relationship, which impacts the streamer, causing them greater harm than traditional celebrities, with an emphasis on female streamers. When assaults on a streamer –no matter their gender– are viewed as commonplace, especially in conventions, we must wonder, what is the impact of a parasocial relationship on a streamer?
The Cost of Illusion
Parasocial relationships thrive on the illusion of intimacy, offering comfort and connection; however, they are ultimately one-sided. Across a wide range of public figures, perceived closeness often leads to emotional dependence, entitlement, and, in extreme cases, harassment or violence. Idols, in turn, face immense psychological pressure and safety risks, while in politics, parasocial loyalty can undermine democratic values and accountability. The bond is enticing, almost real. But never forget, it is a mirage, and boundaries are the only way to keep both sides safe.
Written by: Ajitha and Dylan
Edited by: Sherman
