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abstract: This study explores the prevalence of parasocial interaction between the South Korean band BTS and their fans. Using content analysis, 1,114 fan comments on BTS’s YouTube videos were examined. Approximately two-thirds of analyzed comments displayed at least one of the four indicators of parasocial interaction explored: authenticity, affability, social attraction, and fandom. Furthermore, there was a significant difference between how parasocial interaction (PSI) indicators appeared in the music videos compared to the personality-driven nonmusic videos. The music videos had comments that displayed affability and fandom more frequently, while the personality-driven nonmusic videos displayed higher amounts of social attraction. Social attraction was also the most frequently displayed PSI indicator, implying that fans consuming content through YouTube are more likely to focus on the visual appeal of the content. This research fosters a deeper understanding of the nature of parasocial interaction between fans and celebrities in the context of online media.
Flinchum et al. (Sat,) studied this question.