Stalkers,toxic,obsessed,swifties. These are all what most people think of when they hear the term parasocial relationships. Crazy toxic obsessed fans. But are parasocial relationships really all that bad?

What Are Parasocial relationships?

The most basic definition is an emotional connection one feels to someone they don’t know. Most stereo typically seen with celebrities,fictional characters,sport teams,and specific athletes.

The Bad

I believe it’s easier to start with the bad as that’s what the most common perception is.

There have been incidents of celebrities sharing their significant other and fans getting jealous and angered over this which led to wild events happening.

To pin point one case was the #cutforkookie incident. Jungkook from the kpop boy group BTS was rumored to be dating someone around 2016. The response from fans towards this was just pure jealousy and anger. They wanted him to feel bad about how he “betrayed” them so they started the hashtag cut for kookie. Which was just a thread of self harm.

And while this is so crazy it also exactly shows how far these obsessions can get.

And I believe that’s the negative of parasocial relationships. How they have the potential to drive a individual into craziness. Not the connection itself but the side effects.

Side effects of parasocial relationships are: isolation,stalking,erotomania, media addiction, and etc.

The Good

Parasocial relationships can be beneficial though.

Parasocial relationships are part of our human existence. They’re the reason we enjoy books,movies etc

Some celebrities can also feel like a safe space to an individual. Watching the content of a person can lead to someone cheering up. In a world where there’s thousands of unhealthy coping mechanisms, I don’t believe watching videos of some random celebrity to cheer you up is weird.

These parasocial relationships can also connect people. Most parasocial relationships form due to loneliness. And it’s possible getting into a fandom can help you meet new like minded people. Giving a chance to make friends. These relationships can be a way of socialization for people and can truly sometimes benefit an individual.

So are they bad or good?

Parasocial relationships can’t be categorized into good or bad I believe.

The connection one feels with a celebrity,fictional character,or sports team isn’t bad. I think it only turns bad once the individual starts forgetting this person doesn’t know they exist. Leading to many boundaries being crossed,incidents happening,and the side effects I listed earlier developing.

Parasocial relationships have the potential to be a healthy way of coping and socialization.

At the end of the day it just depends on us to keep ourselves in check and maintain control so we don’t spiral it something unhinged.