parasocial relationship

The term parasocial relationship is credited to sociologists Donald Horton and Richard Wohl, who used it in their 1957 article “Mass Communication and Para-Social Interaction.” The article analyzed a study involving people who felt as though they had intimate bonds with radio and television personalities despite never having met them.

Horton and Wohl referred to these one-sided relationships as para-social relationships. The para- in parasocial (now typically spelled without a hyphen) is commonly used in modern scientific terms to designate an object or activity auxiliary to or derivative of the one denoted by the base word, especially when it’s considered abnormal or defective (as in paranoia).

Horton and Wohl’s article stated that parasocial relationships are common, but that they can sometimes lead to pathological behavior, such as obsession and stalking, especially in people who lack real-life relationships.

In 2021, the term parasocial relationship gained more widespread awareness and use when many social media users used the term in criticism of other users who had been commenting on the personal life of comedian John Mulaney. Specifically, users critical of the negative reactions to revelations about his personal life argued that such reactions were rooted in a parasocial relationship. Use of the term increased as people used it to discuss the relationship between fans and other celebrities, such as pop stars and social media influencers.