Why Parasocial Relationships Are Important to Creators
Scroll through all the accounts you follow on Instagram and there is a high probability that you personally know less than half of those people in real life. Congratulations, you’re unknowingly a part of a parasocial relationship!
A parasocial relationship is a one-sided relationship, where one side exerts time, energy, and interest. This is not to be confused with unrequited love; in a parasocial relationship, one party does not even know the other party exists. This phenomenon is quite common between celebrities and their fans.
As the digital world evolves and celebrity extends beyond Hollywood’s red carpet, we are seeing these one-sided relationships take hold with today’s content creators, influencers, and KOLs.
Let’s explore why it’s important for creators to be aware of this concept and what it means for their long-term success.
Also read : What Can Creators Learn From Emma Chamberlain?
Table of Contents
Why Creators Should Care
The most basic answer is fame. Most content creators want to grow their following so they’re popular online and have potential brand/business opportunities in the future. This cannot happen without parasocial relationships. Even if you’re a nano influencer with 8,000 followers, you can’t possibly know or have any type of relationship with that many people.
In order to become a macro or mega influencer with hundreds of thousands of followers (even millions) you have to be comfortable with these one sided relationships.
I am certainly not a celebrity or semi-well known. But when strangers reach out to me based on a podcast or article I’ve written, it’s an odd feeling. “Someone other than my mom is reading?” Creators need to know this is what they are signing up for. The line between their online person and their real lives will start to blur in the eyes of the audience.
How to Cultivate Parasocial Relationships
Parasocial relationships are built when influencers and content creators open up to their audience, beyond just the content they create.
There is a reason why Kaley Cuoco, an actress from one of the most famous sitcoms only has 7.7 million followers on Instagram compared to Selena Gomez, who has 398 million followers on Instagram. Cuoco has posted 33 times compared to Gomez’s 1,880 posts. That’s not including any Instagram Stories or livestreams Selena Gomez does.
In order to build these parasocial relationships, influencers and creators need to open themselves up to audiences. Not every piece of content has to be a perfectly manicured Instagram post or perfectly edited YouTube videos.
Post Often - every creator knows that posting with regularity will embed a creator’s life into the daily life of their audience. They’ll look forward to your posts and the constant “contact” will keep them engaged.
Be authentic - This has always been true, but it’s becoming more important recently. Too many Instagrammers have posted unattainable lifestyles. While for some it’s aspirational or a fun escape, far too often it disconnects the creator from their audience. They can’t relate with private jets and caviar everyday. But they can relate to an overwhelmed parent whose child just pooped on the wall.
Share everyday experiences - As a subset of being authentic, sharing everyday experiences is a great and easy way to connect. In a parasocial relationship, audiences like to feel like “they’re just like me.” That can include coffee runs, car troubles, and small joys like cutting the perfect avocado.
Be Vulnerable - Not everything you post has to be positive. Life isn’t perfect. Creators can build an emotional connection by occasionally posting vulnerable content, something you’d only share with a close friend. This continues to build the parasocial relationship.
The Potential Downsides of Parasocial Relationships
The idea of parasocial relationships is alluring and can even be addicting. Having thousands of people reply and interact with everything you post online is a drug. It’s a dopamine hit that’s hard to replace. While you (a creator) are receiving this value from your followers with every post, you have to be aware of the other side of the coin. All those likes and comments are coming from real people. People who are invested in your life, despite not knowing the real you. These lines are increasingly blurry to some people.
Parasocial relationships can be dangerous. If someone really feels like they know you and are actually friends with you, this can distort boundaries. Followers might feel like they are entitled to your time. If they were to ever meet you and you don’t match the persona in their head, it could cause anger and frustration. Potentially more serious ramifications.
Creators must be aware of this and be vigilant with the information they share with their audience.
The concept of parasocial relationships is not new. But who can be the center of the relationship has changed with social media and how much access audiences can get has also changed. It’s a core reason why influencer marketing and content creators have become a viable career path. People are invested. In order to be a successful creator, it’s important to know what a parasocial relationship is, how to build it, and how to manage them.