Social media and Parasocial relationships

During the long periods of time being in lockdown, a new form of media is on the rise that seems to be ever-present and ever-evolving, that is, parasocial relationships in social media. Social media itself has grown to be a major aspect of many of our lives and an outlet to a lot of the entertainment and social needs that we needed but lacked in these times. 

Parasocial relationships are the unreciprocated connections that people feel with others, from the fictional characters and people in media and entertainment. this form of relationship has existed for a long time but with the onset of social media the ability to form a seemingly deeper connection with these "influencers" through streams and tweets and Instagram where we are fed mild forms of interactions with them and develop a feeling that we know who they are and how we relate to them as their follower or fans.
This relationship is made even more resolute with the increasing popularity of content creators like streamers, podcasters and YouTubers making community-based content. Even Vtubers (youtubers and streamers that make content with virtual avatars). the derth in new shows and movies and with the sense of company and authenticity that began to blur the lines between real and parasocial. Many face the case where they have had more consistent interaction with these content creators than they have had with a large part of their friends and family during the period of quarantine.
 
There are many aspects of these relationships to consider. just because they are one-sided doesn't necessarily mean that they are unfulfilling, there are a fair amount of benefits as well as problems that arise with this growing trend.  In some cases when parasocial relationships take a step too far, it leads to aggressive behaviour, media addiction, fanaticism and celebrity worship. the blurring of the line between a real and parasocial relationship holds the possibility of deeming that the object of attention may reciprocate the feeling to some degree leading to possibly uncomfortable social interactions and in some cases even stalking and harassment. 
We can see these especially in the cases of Kpop idols and idols in Japan who are marketed with intense fanfare and are in many cases expected to limit a large part of their personal lives and activities in order to appease the fans and their image of who and what the idols are. there is also the cases of taking these attractive individuals as role models or ideals which promote issues with their body image and self-esteem.
 
While these are possible situations there are also cases where these relationships are actually positive and meaningful with the right attitude and social capabilities of said "influencers"  there have been positive effects, with many streamers and YouTubers creating charity streams to funnel money to important causes such as thousands of dollars on research on Alzheimer's and around 3 million dollars for the treatments of children with cancer. 
The rise of streamers has also shown an increase in a community of engaging in wholesome recreational and community activity with the regulation of appropriate behaviour and with the community coming together for social actions and behaviour. It has been seen that parasocial relationships especially during the period of covid 19 has seemed to reduce the sense of loneliness, anxiety and improved the general sense of well-being. 
Overall with the right attitude and self-control in mind, parasocial relationships can be beneficial and socially helpful even and while it may not be a replacement for real social relationships, they do provide a positive function in their own way. 

  
References
Jarzyna, C. L. (2020). Parasocial Interaction, the COVID-19 Quarantine, and Digital Age Media. Human Arenas. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42087-020-00156-0