Parasocial Relationships and Political Interest during Adolescence

A parasocial relationship, or PSR, can be categorized under the broader range of parasocial experiences (PSEs), illusory encounters between an individual and their perceived connections with various media figures or online characters. These relationships are typically non-reciprocal, but can be just as socially and emotionally valuable to the viewer as an interpersonal relationship would be, to the extent where parasocial breakups may be as emotionally distressing as interpersonal ones. Parasocial relationships are important to understand as they are a phenomenon that explores how mass media affects the general population. This phenomenon becomes especially critical as social media and mass media continue to grow, play a bigger role in our day-today lives. The review examines existing literature on parasocial relationships, with thematic elements to explore specific research done on politically active social media accounts, and how they can affect adolescent developmentparticularly their political interest and/or engagement as they mature. PSRs may play a role in a person's political activity as politicians begin turning towards social media as a new way to draw support from the population. This research is relevant for social psychology, specifically the implications of parasocial relationships during adolescence, education and educators in their efforts to increase political interest in the classroom, and politicians as contemporary campaigning methods continue to change. Implications for future research in these realms will be discussed.