I Think That Parasocial Relationships Are Okay To An Extent...hear Me Out.

I think that parasocial relationships are okay to an extent...hear me out.

Firstly, what is a parasocial relationship? Defined by https://www.findapsychologist.org, parasocial relationships are "one-sided relationships, where one person extends emotional energy, interest and time, and the other party, the persona, is completely unaware of the other's existence." With this in mind, aren't parasocial relationships...inevitable? I mean, simply developing a positive outlook on an actor's performance, or a musician's discography would be considered a parasocially-influenced experience, right?

I think that commonly when we delve into discussion of parasocial interactions these days, we tend to prioritize the topic of more severe instances where a delusional individual believes that their favorite celebrity knows them personally & desires their company, when the both of them have possibly never even interacted on a face-to-face basis or communicated virtually at all. But much milder incidents of parasocial behavior are committed all of the time among us "regular people" far more than we are comfortable heeding to.

It's important to note that parasocial relationships aren't always inherently brought about with malicious intent or heinous levels of derealization (which is ACTUALLY classified as a mental disorder & it'd be ableist to fault someone for battling with a condition beyond their own control), & are instead fundamentalised by an overly-exploited craving for human connection. More people are excruciatingly isolated & lonely than we'd like to think & their way of coping with their unfortunate circumstances is through subconsciously developing parasocial relationships with people & characters that they take a profound OR subtle liking to. Who can consciously degrade a person who's finally found their only grasp of enjoyment in life? Who has the right to judge them or try to tear the fixation away from that individual?

Clearly, harassment & stalking is bad. This post is in no way a defence of said behavior. Rather, see it as a justification of a universal experience that has been too often put to shame. We ALL are in parasocial relationships. If you've ever had the nerve to engage with a content creator, a celebrity, a politician, a stranger's platform &/or develop ANY kind of opinion on their character without there first being a reciprocal acknowledgement taken place - Congrats. You have also participated in a parasocial relationship.

TLDR!!

In conclusion, we ought to be more gracious with each other when it comes to this delicate topic. Parasocial relationships are merely inescapable and practically necessary (I'd argue) in a society that relies so heavily on the presence of digitalization & constant media-intake. People need people. That's just intrinsically human. And being parasocial is never "bad", concerning, or worthy of shame/scrutiny unless a subject of interest is being made to feel unsafe, uncomfortable, or the outputting person's mental stability is reliant upon the external party to whom they share no direct relation to.

Thanks for reading if you managed to make it this far. Smooches.

Reference source:

200% hollow purple

no, its not

this was funnier in my head