Exploring the latest text by David C. Giles & Gayle S. Stever
A review of Giles, D. C., & Stever, G. S. (2024). Parasocial experiences: Psychological theory and application. Oxford University Press. 280 pp. ISBN 9780197647646
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In the aftermath of the 2024 U.S. presidential election, many Americans, regardless of political affiliation, found themselves shocked by the results. After a sleepless night following election updates, I found solace with a friend. At exactly 6:00 am, my favorite radio show host echoed my reactions, providing reassurance amid uncertainty. Over the past decade, I have come to know this host through her life events, including her mother’s passing, romantic breakups, and the recent rescue of two puppies. In the early morning quiet, this imagined, one-sided connection felt just as vital as my relationships in the physical world.
In their recent collaborative publication, Giles and Stever (2024) elevate parasocial relationships (PSRs) by connecting them to broader psychological theories and reshaping our understanding of these experiences. They explore PSRs as complex, multifaceted phenomena, rejecting earlier perspectives that pathologized media users as ungrounded “celebrity worshipers” or “stalkers.” Instead, Giles and Stever argue that these relationships span a continuum between purely social and purely parasocial, emphasizing the varied ways in which PSRs manifest in our lives.
Social relationships are widely recognized for their contributions to health and longevity, and in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, many people are more comfortable with distant, mediated relationships. For digital natives, the appeal of these relationships is especially pronounced. The desire for immediate gratification, fostered by online retailers and smartphone applications, further underscores the attraction of on-demand, reliable PSRs.
The book’s relevance is underscored by its focus on social media’s disruption of parasocial research. Traditionally, PSRs have been defined by their lack of reciprocity and status difference between the fan and the public figure. However, the interactive nature of social media—through mechanisms like direct messaging, mentions, and retweets—blurs this boundary, challenging researchers to redefine what is considered parasocial. In particular, Stever investigates newly popular Cameo, a social media site enabling video messages between fans and celebrities, to gauge the impact of direct, seemingly intimate messages on PSRs.
In addition to consuming media, fans now contribute to a vast amount of content in the form of videos and social media posts. Stever observes that merely searching for a celebrity’s name can generate millions of results, highlighting the volume of content that fans access to form opinions about a celebrity’s personality and attitudes toward their audience. Through this integration of media consumption and social interaction, fans often establish real-world friendships with others who share similar interests. These fan-to-fan connections exemplify Giles and Stever’s concept of a continuum, where PSRs can lead to genuine social connections.
Throughout the book, the authors alternate between Giles’ theoretical approach and Stever’s empirical fieldwork, offering a well-rounded examination of PSRs. Giles makes a resonant case for applying psychoanalytic theory to PSRs. He points to evidence that PSRs appear in dreams much like social relationships do, suggesting that the unconscious mind does not readily distinguish between parasocial and social connections. Giles further hypothesizes that celebrities may serve as a mature form of “transitional objects”—psychological placeholders that bridge the gap between an individual’s inner world and external relationships, first identified in childhood. Both Giles and Stever also draw from evolutionary psychology, specifically Bowlby’s attachment theory, to suggest that familiarity with a person’s face and voice is fundamental to attraction and relationship-building across the lifespan, including PSRs.
Stever’s fieldwork contributes vivid examples that illuminate the nature of PSRs. Her ethnographic studies, including conversations with both fans and celebrities, bring to life the unique dynamics of these relationships. Notably, she examines the communication styles of three actors from The Lord of the Rings franchise—Richard Armitage, Dean O’Gorman, and Aidan Turner—highlighting how differing levels of online engagement shape fan relationships. Armitage, the most enthusiastic social media user, regularly updates his accounts on Twitter/X and Instagram. Gorman takes a more selective approach, though he embraces new platforms like Cameo. Turner, in contrast, avoids social media altogether in lieu of more traditional channels such as media interviews and public appearances, which are inevitably shared by fans on YouTube.
For researchers interested in advancing PSR studies, Giles and Stever advocate for incorporating more qualitative research methods to provide depth and context often missed by quantitative approaches. They argue that qualitative methods offer richer insights into how PSRs are formed, experienced, and maintained. Quantitative data alone, they suggest, is insufficient for capturing the breadth of these complex relationships.
Though generally positive in their assessment of PSRs, the authors acknowledge potential drawbacks. For instance, PSRs can sometimes lead individuals to prioritize mediated relationships over social ones, potentially resulting in isolation. Fans may also experience obsessive attachments that disrupt their sense of reality. However, Giles and Stever emphasize that PSRs are not inherently harmful. Instead, they propose several key takeaways from their work: first, that parasocial and social relationships should be seen as existing on a continuum; second, that evolving media landscapes, particularly social media, are redefining the boundaries of parasociality; third, that PSRs are supported by multiple theoretical frameworks spanning psychology; and fourth, that future PSR studies should account for related constructs like parasocial interactions and paracommunication to capture the full scope of these relationships.
Ultimately, Giles and Stever’s exploration affirms that PSRs are complex, multifaceted phenomena with meaningful impacts on contemporary life. Relationships like my own long-standing connection with a distant radio host illustrate how PSRs offer emotional support and continuity, integrating seamlessly into the fabric of our daily lives.
