Parasocial Relationship

I know that this concept was discussed a while ago in class, but it was never something I really gave much thought until this past week. I remember talking about it in class and wondering to myself if I had a parasocial relationship with anyone and pretty much convinced myself I did not. I did not actually realize until Spring Break that I really do have a parasocial relationship with someone famous. I came to this realization while watching a music special on PBS with my dad. The special was a Michael Buble performance, who happens to be my favorite performer, and the subject to my parasocial relationship. As he was singing, I found myself rambling off random facts about his life, where he grew up, his parents, his favorite hockey team, how he got started in music, etcetera. It was not until about half way through the show when my dad looked at me and said "You really know a lot about this guy and he doesn't even know you exist," that I realized it was a little weird. It seemed odd at first but the more I thought about it, I knew I was not alone. I think that everyone has a parasocial relationship of some sort. Even if someone does not come to mind automatically, I am sure that if you think long enough, you can think of some celebrity or sports star or musician that you know way too much information about and secretly think that if you were to meet someday, you would be the best of friends.

A Parasocial Confession

One of the terms from last week’s reading that resonated with me was parasocial. I don’t know about anyone else but there are a lot of celebrities that I am positive would be either a) my best friend b) my friend or c) my boyfriend. Now I will admit that I am more delusional than most, primarily due to my overactive imagination, but it is fueled by the Internet. So for those of you that don’t have as many parasocial relationships as I do I will give you an insight into mine.

Probably my worst (or best) parasocial relationship is with the British band McFly (my favorite band), specifically Danny (my favorite band member). I became a fan of McFly over three years ago after buying the soundtrack for Just My Luck, a movie they played themselves in. Shortly after buying the soundtrack I went to Ireland for a month and purchased the rest of their CDs and their concerts on DVD. Throughout my sophomore year of college my roommate (who was equally obsessed) and I ordered posters, singles, concerts, and calendars online. We also spent hours, literally hours on youtube watching McFly’s television appearances and interviews. Between youtube videos and websites by the end of sophomore year I felt like the members of McFly were my close personal friends.

Still not getting how intense my parasocial relationship was (is)? I can identify Danny’s laugh on any video. Danny’s favorite musician is Bruce Springsteen. He’s from Bolton, has an older sister, and his favorite soccer (football) team is the Bolton Wanderers. He likes to party, had a beagle named Bruce, and enjoys the beach for vacation. Should I go on or do you get the picture?

So how did this parasocial relationship get so bad? Well the Internet and the plethora of information that is readily available on it. My parasocial relationship with McFly was bad as a sophomore when I could watch them on youtube, read their official website, and keep up on their personal blog entries on their myspace. But now, as senior it’s even worse with the addition of twitter. Each member of McFly has a twitter. They share their daily activities, personal thoughts, and personal pictures with the entire world. If I thought I knew McFly before I know them even better now.

Okay, so with all of that said (if you read all of this snaps for you) as a marketer/promoter I love twitter and the availability of information. I think good or bad it is essential for artists to have twitters, blogs, etc. Fans and other consumers expect to have a personal relationship with their favorite artists. As much as it’s scary that people have such delusional relationships with celebrities it also drives revenue for said artists. Even though the relationships are concerning for some I find no real issue unless fans act on these relationships through in-person stalking, inappropriate comments, or the like. Which as far as I know if few and far between.

Well, thanks for reading my confession and other thoughts, sorry it’s so long.

For those of you who are interested, below is a link to a McFly music video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zCYlsyGP5ak