i am an onlines ESL teacher. i am about to do the following worksheet:

""Copyrights by ESL Brains. For use only with license.
It’s a one-way street! Parasocial relationships
C1
Send a link to an article eslbrains.com/crc070 to your students so that they can read it before the
class.
1. Study the signs of fandom. Have you ever done any of these things? If so, provide details.
You can also ask students if they would like to participate in any of the activities.
2. Discuss the questions.
• Do you think community plays a big part in fandom? Why/Why not?
• Do you think being a fan signifies a deeper need for connection? Why/Why not?
• Can fandom ever be harmful? Why/Why not?
3. Explain what you think the following term means.
A psychological relationship between a person and someone they do not know, often with the latter
not knowing the former exists (e.g. between a celebrity and a fan).
Ask students if they know any other words that start with the prefix ‘para’ and ask them what the prefix
means (‘half’ or ‘other’ version of something, e.g. paranormal, paramilitary, paramedical).
4. Find the phrases in the statements that match the meanings below.
A. Some celebrities feel tempted to disclose information online because they crave attention.
B. It’s hard to gauge if admiration of a celebrity has turned sinister because parasocial relationships
with celebrities are accepted by society.
C. A one-sided relationship can be a positive way to experience connection as it usually involves less
emotional destruction.
D. Feeling invested in a public figure’s life is a result of not being wholly satisfied with your own.
E. The internet has forged an illusion of closeness not just between celebrities and fans, but between
people who know each other.
T
owning merchandize
(e.g. band t-shirts)
attending events
(e.g. comic conventions)
accumulating trivia (e.g. knowing
an actor’s favourite colour)
engaging on social media
(e.g. following fan accounts)
exploring secondary content
(e.g. watching interviews)
parasocial relationship
T
T
Copyrights by ESL Brains. For use only with license.
It’s a one-way street! Parasocial relationships
C1
F. Content creators purposefully blur the lines between their lives and the lives of their fans to
manipulate trust and devotion.
1. partnership involving one person more
than the other one-sided relationship
2. transition into something harmful or evil
turn sinister
3. false impression of intimacy illusion of
closeness
4. make the distinction between two things
more ambiguous blur the lines
5. reveal or expose details disclose
information
6. be emotionally engaged or involved feel
invested
5. Discuss to what extent you agree or disagree with the statements in ex. 4.
6. Discuss the questions.
• How do parasocial relationships with celebrities differ from those with fictional characters?
• With fictional characters, how does a parasocial relationship with a character in literature differ
from one on TV or in movies?
• Are some parasocial relationships more ‘worthy’ than others (e.g. with a spiritual figure, a
politician, an athlete)?
• To what extent do famous people (e.g. Instagram influencers) have a moral duty to be mindful of
parasocial relationships? In what ways can they take control?
• How has the internet aided the prevalence of parasocial relationships that were not originally
connected to the online world, for example relationships with book characters or soap opera
characters?
• How do you think the pandemic affected the prevalence of
parasocial relationships?
• What might influence the eventual end of a parasocial
relationship?
• What do you think will be the future of parasocial
relationships as technology advances?
Copyrights by ESL Brains. For use only with license.
It’s a one-way street! Parasocial relationships
C1
7. Read about the fans and say what you know about their chosen fandom. Discuss if you personally
know any fandom members, if you know of similar cases, character obsessions or celebrity
admiration.
Fans of Game of Thrones express their love
of the series through engaging in ‘cosplay’
and attending events. Some even make ‘fan
art’, creating artworks of their
interpretations of the imaginary world.
Taylor Swift fans or ‘Swifties’ attend the pop
star’s concerts, purchase branded merchandize,
and organize ‘streaming parties’. They also use
social media to engage in fan challenges and
trends, and keep up with the star.
Admirers of the late Princess Diana join
active fan clubs, where they celebrate
the princess’s achievements, perform
charity work in her honor, collect
memorabilia, and visit sites connected
with her memory.
Self-labelled ‘Potterheads’ organize ‘movie
marathons’, listen to themed podcasts, create
‘wizard music’, recreate food, drink and items from
the series, and create ‘fanfiction’ (imagining and
consuming alternative storylines to extend
the Harry Potter series).""

it is based off this article we read before class:

""Incident description
On April 11, 2020, the Mashable.com website experienced a data breach. Over 1 million email addresses were exposed, together with social media, credential, personal, location and employment data. Leaked records include username, address, date of birth, IP address, first name, last name and gender. The validity of the data exposed couldn’t be verified. Yet we’re still informing you about a potential data breach – but keep in mind there’s a chance of it being a false positive.
Incident date
04/11/2020
No. of exposed accounts
1,300,182
Exposed data
Address
Bio
City
Date of birth
Email
Facebook
Firstname
Gender
IP Address
Lastname
Linkedin
Location
Phone
Profession
Twitter
Username
Zip
Powered by
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Search
Home > Life > Sex, Dating & Relationships
What are parasocial relationships?
They've existed for thousands of years — but social media changed everything.
By Anna Iovine  on May 15, 2024
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Parasocial relationships have evolved because of social media. Credit: Bob Al-Greene / Mashable
People have had a fascination with famous people for eons — and in the age of the internet, it's only increased. Influencers, often online content creators, have made both the definition of "celebrity" and our relationships with them fuzzy. 

While it may seem like influencers are followers' friends due to how they interact with them online, this more than likely isn't the case. Instead, these relationships are parasocial — one-sided. But what are parasocial relationships exactly, and are they healthy?

SEE ALSO: Influencers aren't going anywhere. So what does that mean for today's teens? 
What is a parasocial relationship?
Parasocial relationships are one-sided relationships, typically with an everyday individual and a celebrity or fictional character, said assistant professor of communication studies at Colorado State University, Natalie Pennington. 

According to chief strategy officer at media tech company IMGN Media Noah Mallin, parasocial relationships are an assumed intimacy audience members feel even though they don't have an actual relationship with that person.

These relationships existed long before the internet — thousands of years ago. Researchers say ancient people had parasocial relationships with pharaohs and deities, for example. 

In the 20th century, early research on parasocial relationships dissected those of people and soap opera characters and other fictional TV characters. "People would watch TV shows and become really invested in, and feel like they had a relationship with…some of the leads on the shows," said Pennington. "So even though they may never meet, they were like, 'This person is my friend. I know them.'"

 "Even though they may never meet, they were like, 'This person is my friend. I know them.'"
As media and technology has evolved, so have parasocial relationships. With the rise of the internet and social media in the past few decades, celebrities have disclosed more information about themselves online, allowing fans more insight. This previously-impossible-to-know knowledge has made these relationships seem real, as fans are learning more about the celebrity. It's still one-sided, however, as the celebrity may have no idea who the fan is. 

Examples of parasocial relationships
In a study on fan-celebrity interaction on Twitter Pennington published in 2016 with professor Jeffrey A. Hall and researcher Alex Hutchinson, the authors discussed the "illusion of closeness" social media interaction gives to fans when it comes to celebrity interaction. A celebrity "like" or retweet can not only boost one's own social status, but it's a perceived level of intimacy with the celeb.

Even the definition of "celebrity" is fuzzy these days due to the rise of social media and particularly influencers, who've blurred the parasocial lines even more because of increased interaction and the perception that an influencer is just a "normal person" like yourself. 

Because of engagement, social media blurs the line of parasocial relationships. Since that study, it's only increased — especially with TikTok, Pennington noted. Referring to the stitch feature of combining videos, she said, "TikTok with stitching, for example…it blurs the line on parasocial because someone may actually respond to you and then you can feel even more connected."

SEE ALSO: Is Instagram shadowbanning LGBTQ and sex ed accounts? 
The rise of YouTube vlogging had a hand in modern parasocial relationships, said Mallin. Vloggers speak directly to camera (something not often done in previous forms of media) about specific personal issues they're dealing with, as if they're speaking to a friend. Now it's typical for an influencer to look directly at you during a video. There's a perceived level of authenticity there, even if a lot of work went into a video behind the scenes. 

Not only are influencers looking at you, but they're also interacting — sometimes in real time. "It feels like you've got more ability to access and interact," said Mallin. "A good creator will read the comments, and comment back."

Commenting back and forth can feel like you're having a conversation with an influencer (even if it's their team and not them responding). This helps foster the sense of "this is a real person," said Mallin, "but that can also foster the sense of, 'not only is this a real person, but we actually have a relationship with each other,'" even though you don't. 

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"Again, [this is] still not a two sided relationship in most cases," Pennington said. "But because there's that extra level of interaction or potential for [interaction], it can strengthen that tie for someone."

How do parasocial relationships form and end?
Parasocial relationships are born out of parasocial interaction, or PSI. PSI is the process of engaging with a celebrity or influencer. You watch their content, perhaps even reach out to them. It's likely you relate to them in some way; maybe their identity aligns with yours, or maybe you share similar attitudes. 

Just as possible as it is for parasocial relationships to form, it's also possible for them to end. The most morbid of cases is when the public figure dies, but that's not the only way. 

One way is, as Mallin said, "the bubble has burst." This is especially the case of influencers when they reach a certain level of notoriety where they don't "feel real" anymore. Perhaps their follow count is in the millions, and they've entered the mainstream. "Once you get the sense that they're not really talking to just you anymore…it can start to feel like less of a relationship," said Mallin.

This can also be the case if an influencer starts doing too many sponsorships that feel misaligned with who they are (or, at least, who the fan believe them to be). "It starts to feel less authentic," said Mallin.

Or, maybe the influencer started in one niche that resonated with you and then they evolved and moved on. In that way, the end of a parasocial relationship can feel like a friendship that drifted apart. 

This doesn't happen with all fans, but parasocial relationships can fizzle when the illusion of intimacy is somehow broken. 

Are parasocial relationships healthy?
The simple answer is yes — but like most things, it's best in moderation. 

In the United States, people are pretty lonely, and the pandemic worsened the "loneliness epidemic." People have fewer close friends now than they did decades ago. At the same time, Pennington said, there's an innate human need to belong and thus a need for connection, and when we don't have that we'll seek it out. Humans evolved these needs over millions of years, because we needed to be part of groups in order to survive. While this isn't necessarily the case anymore, we're still social creatures who thrive with others.

So, it makes sense that people seek connection online and through celebrities and influencers. As long as they're not the only relationships in your life, parasocial relationships can be totally fine. You may get a "boost" of good-connection feelings — a hit of the feel-good chemical dopamine — when you engage with your favorite online personality, and that's a positive.

But if that's the only way you're connecting — or if you think your parasocial relationship is actually two-sided — that's when they can get problematic.

"We need people in our life that we actively talk to," Pennington said, "to help our wellbeing, whether that be loneliness, self esteem, belonging, connection, all that stuff."

Pennington continued, "There's nothing wrong with enjoying the content of a creator in any capacity and appreciating the work they do with the in-the-moment joy that that brings you." It's not a good idea to set expectations with the celebrity, however. "It's okay to reach out to tweet at and say 'hi,' but not anticipate or expect a response," Pennington said. 

Further, Mallin said, parasocial relationships can cross the line into being toxic, especially if the influencer/celebrity is of a marginalized identity. "Parasocial relationships can feel fairly benign," he said, "but for some groups that sometimes can be a little bit more sinister." 

During the worst of the pandemic, for example, influencers spoke out about increased harassment. Abuse can escalate from online to offline, such as Twitch "fans" stalking streamers. In these ways, the blurred line of interaction can be detrimental. 

When interacting with an influencer/celebrity, it's important to remember the relationship is indeed one-sided. It's okay to love a famous person — but keep your emotional and physical distance.

This article was first published in 2022 and republished in 2024.

Topics Celebrities

anna iovine, a white woman with curly chin-length brown hair, smiles at the camera
Anna Iovine
Associate Editor, Features
Anna Iovine is associate editor of features at Mashable. Previously, as the sex and relationships reporter, she covered topics ranging from dating apps to pelvic pain. Before Mashable, Anna was a social editor at VICE and freelanced for publications such as Slate and the Columbia Journalism Review. Follow her on X @annaroseiovine.

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please provide some possible answers to the questions