Social media is the crown that droops down, with its heavy weight, many, many heads. A lot of people decide to become influential on the internet by doing what they know best, at times with the purpose of gaining popularity or in the pursuit of profit through public projection.
When netizens, a term for citizens of the internet, find someone they idolise, at times, their idolization crosses the boundaries of normal behaviour and turns into an obsession that can be harmful in many ways. The obsessive relationships with internet-turned influencers or even celebrities with huge followings are termed as “parasocial relationships”, one-sided, unreciprocated relationships which are often mostly just terrifying obsessions instead of true attachment with their beloved idols.
The nature of parasocial interactions and relationships that are initiated due to them has been a wide topic of discussion since the 1950s. In traditional parasocial relationships, a person invests emotional energy, time, and interest in another person, while the reverse is far from true. The other person remains unaware of the first one’s existence due to being on a pedestal and doesn’t even interact with common people as such in general.
A media figure who is always surrounded by fans and paparazzi only interacts with the general public, out of whom there tend to exist such people experiencing parasocial relationships at events like fan greets or who receive letters through the mail.
Even though reciprocation, which is considered to be the most important part of a relationship, is close to nothing in a PSR, the figure’s existence is a significant part of their everyday lives. This can even be a very simple case of relying on a certain news reporter to get access to happenings all around the world for a less intense PSR situation occurring.
Many times, it is seen that people tend to copy their favourite celebrity’s characteristics, personality or fashion sense. Interestingly, this phenomenon is even common in fictional characters.
People who have gained fame through posting on the internet, from photos to vlogs, are often referred to as “micro celebrities”. Although these micro celebs do not have the same amount of following or perhaps even talent as compared to celebrities we’ve seen on the screens or heard through speakers, they tend to be more sought after in terms of the fact that there are more chances of interaction with them.
For certain people, parasocial relationships are as if an escape from normal life, as there are no expectations, and they can just daydream about the celebrities they adore. And because media figures of all kinds have become more comfortable with sharing even the highly personal details of their lives on the internet’s various social media platforms, the connection that people feel with them has grown stronger and more intense.
Historically, parasocial relationships have been claimed to be considered as pathological symbols of loneliness, isolation or even social anxiety. People experiencing these desolate feelings tend to gravitate towards media figures who make them feel included in the society of humankind without actually having to go through the tedious process of forming bonds or connections with people around them who do not feel as accepting or appealing. Even though these claims have been proven to be false through research, the lengths that people experiencing parasocial relationships go to attain even a fragment of their idol’s presence are appalling.
Taylor Swift, a mega pop star who is worshipped all over the world by countless fans, is a great example of being part of many people’s parasocial relationships. Although mostly people find themselves drawn to her due to her melodic discography and impeccable style, certain people become obsessed with her a figure to problematic lengths.
Recently, in September 2025, Taylor filed a restraining order against a 45-year-old man called Brian Wagner, who repeatedly tried to break into her home in Los Angeles for over a year. The man claimed to be in a relationship with a singer and made extremely disturbing and highly false claims. He would send her numerous threatening e-mails. Cases like these are quite scary to someone on such a huge scale with a giant following, as they raise the question of whether the obsession that people feel in parasocial relationships can undermine the safety that these figures deserve to feel.
Taking celebrities off of the pedestals that they have taken years of hard work and dedication to climb upon is not a valid solution. So isn’t decoding the concept of parasocial relationships, which are ultimately inevitable in a world where celebrity worship is glorified and normalised. However, as celebrities are at their very core still people, besides being our sources of entertainment, it is our responsibility to help maintain their integrity so that they can exist in the same world as us without the fear of being groped or leered at every time they step into public.
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