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Parasocial relationships – one-sided emotional bonds with media characters – have been studied extensively, but little is known about how they develop over time. This gap is particularly relevant as virtual influencers, media entities created with AI technologies, become increasingly popular, yet are assumed to be more difficult to bond with. This study investigates whether parasocial relationship intensity and stage progression differ between human and virtual influencers. Through a four-week experience sampling study, 185 young adults in the Netherlands followed an assigned influencer and provided repeated reports on their relationship development. Results showed that parasocial relationship intensity increased over time for both influencers, with participants progressing through stages similarly. Contrary to expectations, parasocial breakup intensity did not differ between conditions. These findings suggest that virtual influencers can foster parasocial bonds comparable to human influencers, highlighting their potential as communicators.
Breves et al. (Sun,) studied this question.