#Influencers: How We Form One-sided Relationships with Media Characters
By Emma Toth
Over quarantine, I found myself turning to Netflix to fill my time, as I'm sure many people did. Since March, I have probably watched every show I was remotely interested in. With little left to watch, I figured I’d just throw something on the TV for background noise. I ended up picking Teen Mom 2, the show about teen mothers navigating their lives. Since that day, I became oddly obsessed with the show, yelling at my TV because I was attached to the characters making bad decisions.
As I was trying to calm down about a TV show that has nothing to do with my life, it made me question why I felt so deeply for someone's situation that A: I have never met in my life, and B: happened in 2009. It made me realize I have done this with many other shows, and I was guessing I wasn’t the only one. Researchers call our connection to TV characters “parasocial relationships” (O'Sullivan, 2020).
Why do we form these relationships in the first place?
There are a few reasons why viewers form relationships with TV characters. Schiappa, Allen, and Gregg (2007) believe these factors play a role:
The character is usually consistent
The viewer has the control in the relationship
The viewer has the power to understand the character
The viewer can see the character as a real person
All of these aspects lead the viewer to connect and build some type of relationship with the character. The one-sided nature of the relationship allows for the viewer to control what happens and how the bond forms (Schiappa et al., 2007). This gets rid of the awkward nature of forming bonds in real life, making these relationships very easy to form.
Just like in a regular relationship, spending time with someone through their ups and downs can form a bond. Since the TV only presents part of the story, we fill in the gaps in situations (Nuwer, 2013). We can create a relationship from one side because we see their situation, we have a reaction and fill in the rest. We can then carry on a relationship with a TV character this way.
Is this on purpose, or are some of us just weird?
Most people don’t set out to form parasocial relationships with the characters they watch, they just happened. Jonathan Cohen’s research on parasocial relationships found their formation as something negative; viewers who reported being lonely were most likely to form what, at that time, were seen as unusual relationships. Now parasocial relationships are believed to be more of the norm and not the exception among media users (Schiappa, Allen, & Gregg, 2007). It is natural for humans to make connections, and if we become invested enough in shows and media, a relationship can easily form (O'Sullivan, 2020). Consider how connected users feel to their favorite influencers on platforms like Instagram and TikTok. Doctoral students at Howard University explain this phenomenon well in their blog, Parasocial Relationships: The Nature of Celebrity Fascinations.
Media outlets know we form these relationships with characters
When it comes to TV shows or movie franchises, they want the viewers to keep coming back. If they can create characters that are easy to form bonds with, then they will win over viewers.
The simplest way to achieve this is by tugging at the viewer's heartstrings. If production can get the viewer to feel strong emotions, that will make the bond between viewer and character form easier. Since we have all experienced emotional situations in our lives, we can relate to scenes set up to bring up those emotional experiences. Producers have turned parasocial relationships into a “media production technique” used to draw the viewer in (Cohen, 2004). It is now a purposeful act created to suck the viewer in and make them stay. While parasocial relationships were once seen as odd, they are now used to influence the viewer (Cohen, 2004).
So, the next time your favorite character dies and you feel the waterworks start, don’t worry, that’s what they want you to do. However, it can be problematic to believe that your favorite influencers and celebrities are talking directly to you. Just like our favorite shows, these people curate the version of themselves they want to appear to be. It is important to foster our personal connections with friend and family to maintain a healthy and rewarding social life. Remember it is easy to form parasocial relationships, much more difficult that maintaining those with the people in our real lives.
References
Cohen, J. (2004). Parasocial break-up from favorite television characters: The role of attachment styles and relationship intensity. Journal of Social and Personal relationships, 21(2), 187-202.
National Register of Health Service Psychologists (Resources). Parasocial relationships: The nature of celebrity fascinations. Retrieved February 15, 2021, from https://www.findapsychologist.org/parasocial-relationships-the-nature-of-celebrity-fascinations/#:~:text=Parasocial%20relationships%20are%20one%2Dsided,sports%20teams)%20or%20television%20stars .
Nuwer, R. (2013). The psychology of character Bonding: Why we feel a real connection To actors: The credits. Retrieved February 09, 2021, from https://www.motionpictures.org/2013/07/the-psychology-of-character-bonding-why-we-feel-a-real-connection-to-actors/
O'Sullivan, S. (2020). It's complicated: The problem with the one-sided relationships we're all having online. Retrieved February 09, 2021, from https://www.refinery29.com/en-gb/parasocial-relationships-online-cancelling-bon-appetit
Schiappa, E., Allen, M., & Gregg, P. B. (2007). Parasocial relationships and television: A meta-analysis of the effects. Mass media effects research: Advances through meta-analysis, 301-314.