scholarly journals Parasocial Interaction and Parasocial Relationship: Conceptual Clarification and a Critical Assessment of Measures

2015 ◽  
Vol 42 (1) ◽  
pp. 21-44 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jayson L. Dibble ◽  
Tilo Hartmann ◽  
Sarah F. Rosaen
Author(s):  
K. K. Luke

Abstract Since Harvey Sacks’ early observations on collaborative sentence-making, the joint production of turns has become a topic of abiding interest amongst conversation analysts. This paper offers a thematic review of the literature by looking into a number of issues surrounding joint productions, including their forms and interactional uses, major types and sub-types, syntactic and pragmatic contributions, unity and variation across languages, and reasons for its inherent fascination as a conversational practice. By re-examining a number of key concepts and distinctions, including completion, extension, projection, continuation, collaboration, and affiliation/disaffiliation, the paper offers a critical assessment of their perspicuity and usefulness for our understanding of joint production as a general phenomenon (which includes both co-completions and increments). In the second part of the paper, it is suggested that two further concepts be added to the analyst’s toolbox, namely, ‘parties’ (Schegloff 1995) and ‘voices’ (Bakhtin 1981). It is argued that with these notions, one would be better placed to explain the curious status of joint productions as at once collaborative and yet at the same time potentially transformative or even subversive. The overriding goal is conceptual clarification of this field, which hopefully will help place further research on firmer ground.


2017 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 67-93
Author(s):  
Nuria Astagini ◽  
Veronica Kaihatu ◽  
Yugo Dwi Prasetyo

Interaction and parasocial relationships are one-way relationships formed through the media. This type of relationship can be seen through various social media accounts owned by celebrities. Fans interactions with their idol celebrities in social media will lead to the formation of positive and negative parasocial relationships. This study was conducted to see how the relationship and parasocial relationship that exists between the fans with the celebrities in social media. Through observation on social media accounts owned by several celebrities in Indonesia, and in-depth interviews conducted with informants; It is known that various comments given by fans is a description of a parasocial interaction. Fans who always comments on every updated information uploaded by their idol, shows a parasocial relationship. This relationship is a picture of emotional attachment from the fans. The interaction and parasocial relationship in social media are closely related to the concept of hyperreality. All things related to a particular celebrity may be rendered artificially, so the fans will eventually form identification of the celebrity with hyperrealitas or reality that is different from the actual reality.


2016 ◽  
Vol 29 (2) ◽  
pp. 317-342 ◽  
Author(s):  
DANIELLE HANNA RACHED

AbstractAccountability has become a cornerstone of current discussion on the prospects of legitimate and effective global governance. In spite of its rather high currency, accountability does not partake in the select group of first-order political ideals: democracy, human rights, constitutionalism and rule of law have all been historically uttered in much more vocal tones and still remain at the forefront of public demands for legitimate authority. Rather than radiating a comprehensive legal or political vision, accountability supplies a power-constraining toolbox that allows for a variety of more or less attractive permutations. This rather commonplace story, though, tells very little about the concrete configurations, underlying values and ends of accountability. The concept of accountability remains unstable because, among other things, its descriptive and normative aspects lack a clearer articulation; traditional taxonomies fail to precisely illuminate its political and extra-political instantiations, and their respective connection with law; the relevant descriptive variables that shape accountability arrangements are not yet systematized in a comprehensive way; the specific normative goals that lurk behind the calls for more accountability tend to be taken for granted, and the trade-offs or internal tensions that necessarily occur are usually camouflaged. Conceptual clarification, thus, is indispensable whenever one comes across such multifaceted umbrella terms. The article attempts to diagnose such shortcomings, to elucidate a minimalist concept of accountability and to provide a large analytical map that can aid both the description and the critical assessment of accountability arrangements in light of their potential purposes. This analytical exercise is a pivotal starting point if accountability is to get a better grip on the debates about the improvement of global governance.


2019 ◽  
Vol 21 (2) ◽  
pp. 124-134
Author(s):  
Yurike Anindyasari ◽  
Sony Kusumasondjaya

The number of Instagram users continue to grow from year to year and so parasocial concept does. Parasocial concept itself is getting popular to those who study media. Nowdays, parasocial concept is used a lot more in daily lives by marketeers.  Marketeers compete to pick the most influencial person who has the ability to attract others in order to promote special products/brands. This study was aimed at examining the influences of parasocial interaction, parasocial relationship, endorser credibility, and  purchase intention of Syahrini’s fans on a make-up product. This research was a quantitative research using online questionnaire. Data were collected through online questionnaire and filled by Syahrini’s  fan base on Instagram. The sample of this study used Syahrini’s women fans who never have bought a typical of make-up product (Lakme make-up) before.  Later on, respondents were required to watch a short video about Syahrini before they finally filled the online questionnaire. A significant influence between parasocial interaction and parasocial relationship; a significant influence between parasocial relationship and endorser credibility; a significant influence between parasocial relationship and purchase intention; and a non significant influence between endorser credibility and purchase intention. The implication practice of this study is marketeers should choose the most ideal public figure, especially the one who could build such a strong relationship with fans. Also marketeers should be more innovative in creating new ways of communicating between fans and their idols.


Author(s):  
M. Bocarnea

The celebrity-persona parasocial interaction scale (CPPI) is designed to measure how media consumers form parasocial relationships with celebrities or popular fictional characters. A parasocial relationship is defined as an imaginary interpersonal relationship between a media consumer and a media persona (Horton & Wohl, 1956). Persona can be real people, such as actors, athletes, and performing artists; or they can be fictional characters, such as Susan in the television serial Desperate Housewives, a character played by actress Teri Hatcher, or Indiana Jones, a character in the film, Raiders of the Lost Ark, played by actor Harrison Ford. The CPPI is derived from several other published parasocial action scales, including Rubin, Perse & Powell (1985), Cole & Leets (1999), and Auter & Palmgreen (2000). While most parasocial interaction scales are designed to measure the strength of parasocial relationships that develop through television viewing, the CPPI is particularly targeted to celebrities whose exposure far exceeds television programs alone.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lesley Shiner

The purpose of this research paper is to explore ideas that may highlight why Instagram users may be interested in following the lives and daily activities of social media influencers on Instagram. Social media influencers have been defined as “independent third party endorsers who have developed sizeable social networks by sharing details about their personal lives, experiences, and opinions publicly through texts, pictures, videos” (Ki & Kim, 2019, p. 905). Research also suggests that if successful, influencers can become “opinion leaders who communicate with a sizeable social network of people following them” (Boerman, 2020, p. 199). Arielle Charnas is a New York City fashion influencer with over one million followers on Instagram, and she will be used as a case to study alongside parasocial interaction to explore how, as an influencer, she incorporates techniques from this theory to establish a connection with her followers. This MRP supports research that proposes that the two established parasocial interaction techniques of perceived interactivity and openness “should increase feelings of parasocial interaction” (Labrecque, 2014, p. 136). Moreover, the analysis of Arielle’s Instagram supports the concept that the development of feelings of a parasocial relationship can be enhanced when “media presentations resemble interpersonal interaction” (Perse & Rubin, 1989, p. 60).


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lesley Shiner

The purpose of this research paper is to explore ideas that may highlight why Instagram users may be interested in following the lives and daily activities of social media influencers on Instagram. Social media influencers have been defined as “independent third party endorsers who have developed sizeable social networks by sharing details about their personal lives, experiences, and opinions publicly through texts, pictures, videos” (Ki & Kim, 2019, p. 905). Research also suggests that if successful, influencers can become “opinion leaders who communicate with a sizeable social network of people following them” (Boerman, 2020, p. 199). Arielle Charnas is a New York City fashion influencer with over one million followers on Instagram, and she will be used as a case to study alongside parasocial interaction to explore how, as an influencer, she incorporates techniques from this theory to establish a connection with her followers. This MRP supports research that proposes that the two established parasocial interaction techniques of perceived interactivity and openness “should increase feelings of parasocial interaction” (Labrecque, 2014, p. 136). Moreover, the analysis of Arielle’s Instagram supports the concept that the development of feelings of a parasocial relationship can be enhanced when “media presentations resemble interpersonal interaction” (Perse & Rubin, 1989, p. 60).


Communication ◽  
2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gayle Stever

Parasocial theory is an area of inquiry that has been principally pursued in communication studies, although work in psychology, sociology, and related disciplines has been done as well. The concept originated in 1956 with the article “Mass Communication and Para-Social Interaction” by Donald Horton and R. Richard Wohl wherein the authors suggested that television specifically, but also media in general, had put people in contact with those who were previously unknown and unknowable before the existence of visual media. Celebrities/famous people had existed before television, but what changed with the advent of televisions in the living rooms of people’s homes was that now it was possible to have a parasocial interaction in a face-to-face way with someone whose image and personality had invaded the privacy of one’s own home. Horton and Wohl focused in their discussion on the evening talk shows where a host brought celebrity guests onto the show and conducted informal conversations with those guests in a format that made the viewer feel like part of the conversation. The format encouraged the viewer to “interact” with the participants on the program, even though they were unable to really be part of the conversation. Creating a semicircle seating configuration on the show that implied that the circle was completed by the viewers at home added to the sense that one was part of a conversation. Such parasocial interaction (PSI) was defined by the one-sidedness of the interaction with the viewer knowing the television celebrity quite well while being completely unknown in return. PSI thus led to a parasocial relationship (PSR), which was the continuation of the feeling of knowing the celebrity long after the program had actually ended. In a small percentage of cases, the celebrity became a source of felt security and safe haven such that a parasocial attachment (PSA) was created. An attachment relationship is one in which a person seeks proximity to another in order to feel safe and secure. Traditionally infant/caregiver relationships and adult romantic relationships have been recognized for their attachment properties, but the idea that television personalities or other public entertainers can afford a sense of security and safety is one that has been explored in the parasocial research literature.


Author(s):  
Caitlin McLaughlin ◽  
Donghee Yvette Wohn

The purpose of the current article was to explore parasocial phenomena in the unique and interactive context of live streaming. Specifically, the predictors of parasocial interactions (PSIs) and parasocial relationships (PSRs) were compared. In the past, the terms ‘parasocial interaction’ and ‘parasocial relationship’ have been used interchangeably, even though they are distinct constructs – which has confused researchers’ understanding of these phenomena. The current study aims to begin to disentangle our understanding of these two constructs by studying the predictors for each construct separately. An online survey was utilized to collect data on PSRs, PSIs, and various parasocial predictors that fell into three categories: streamer (source) characteristics, viewer characteristics, and behavioral (relationship) characteristics. Results indicate that streamer characteristics were the most important predictors of both PSIs and PSRs in the live streaming context, although characteristics of the viewer and relationship were also influential. These findings indicate that message sources can modify their content to encourage parasocial phenomena in their audience. This is encouraging, as research suggests that parasocial phenomena lead to many positive repercussions for the media and so are generally considered a goal of media personae.


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