Parasocial relationships as the new "real"

❝Good luck to our super moderator Zahra Bahjawi for her three midterms this week! Kat2123 did an absolutely fantastic job, but we sure did miss Zahra!❞

❝SOME INTERESTING COMMENTS FROM THE CHAT❞

* “I think parasocial relationships just allow us to present a better and less disappointing side to other people over what would occur in real life, more fake and shallower but it feels nice.” (yusuf)

* “I think it’s bad because as a Gen Z I feel like it’s slowly replacing in-person communication because it puts a band aid on the wound of loneliness.” (Venus)

* “…I love that the internet provides me outlets for discourse on my niche topics of interest. I have real life friends, but no one to watch Drag Race with me and pick it apart, lol.” (Kait Why)

* “While parasocial friendship is really amazing, ghosting is what has made me not depend too much on virtual friendship.” (Jaehoon Jung)

* “My life is kind of sad…Too many relationships with streamers who will never learn anything about me.” (pedro luiz)

* “I’ve found that parasocial relationships can be a good way to lessen the influence of social determinism on the viewer. In getting ‘acquainted’ with, say, filmmakers, writers, musicians, one gets to see and feel other ways to live and consider the world. Coming from a small town in France, these ‘relationships’ have truly made me encounter ideas and ways of being that I would never have encountered in “real” life.” (Spilman)

* “yes” (The Relyk)

* “Most of my social interactions with friends are through a group chat…which actually turned pretty toxic and took a toll on my mental health. I had to back myself away from it which was difficult.” (digitaleyez)

* “…As somebody with chronic pain, parasocial relations have been so important to me to connect with others in similar situations.” (Kerrie O’Neill)

* “I honestly wonder if we will ever get to the point that we can describe different texting styles like we describe dialects.” (Kata)

* “Cannabis is herbal alcohol, ew.” (Samurai Yun)

* “Kidology talking about Chomsky is literally proving how discourse, and being exposed to it, is a positive force in education.” (Noah Brown)

* “I want to be a professional parasocialite.” (Jerry Vang)

* “I saw that video of Miss Simon and it had a hint of mean-spiritedness. Disagreeing is fine but that was a bit much tbh.” (Wendy B. Screen)

* “…I’d like to ask if voting would be considered parasocial and if it is, how does it affect it?” (lucas)

* “I think of relationships as a sort of energy exchange. The exchanged energy needs to be in balance. And that can only happen when it is well defined. All relationships should be well defined.” (Chaos Joerg)

* “I wish both mental and physical health could be considered a human right.” (indrinita)

* “TikTok therapy is like fast food.” (Jerry Vang) | TikTok is the new therapy it seems.” (Jamaal Clarke)

* “…I think it’s very commendable how Max [MrGirl] just wants people to radically advocate for themselves in such a far-from-social-norm way. Such a shame people cannot seem to read him properly.” (magicalflyingNEMO)

* “Is having pets also kind of parasocial?” (vivvy)

❝READING SUGGESTIONS | CONTENT MENTIONED❞

* (Mass Communication and Parasocial Interaction by Donald Horton and R. Richard Wohl, 1956)

* (Teaching MrGirl How Relationships Work [ft. Destiny] by notsoErudite)

* (“The unknown is scary”Why young women on social media are developing Tourette’slike tics)

* (Dr. KReckless by mrgirl)

#parasocial #parasocialrelationships #loneliness #relationships #socialmedia #kidology