“Not Me, Us": Political Para-Social Relationships in the Modern Media Environment

• In Event: Poster Session: Current and Classical Topics in Political Psychology & State Politics and Policy
  In Poster Session: Poster Session: Current and Classical Topics in Political Psychology

Abstract

Why do individuals form parasocial bonds with politicians whom they have never met? Social scientists have studied parasocial relationships since the 1950s, often in the context of television talk shows or popular soap opera characters. However, researchers have only examined the phenomenon of political parasocial relationships in recent years, despite the history of “fandoms” surrounding politicians like Theodore Roosevelt and John F. Kennedy. Additionally, many of these studies on political parasocial relationships focus on Donald Trump. I suspect there are other political figures who have similarly attracted parasocial bonds with voters. Furthermore, it is likely the modern media environment, where individuals have grown accustomed to receiving information on politicians’ personal lives, and the introduction of social media have contributed to this phenomenon. This project aims to identify characteristics of individuals who form political parasocial relationships and identify political figures beyond Trump who attract these bonds. Additionally, this study updates Rubin et al.’s (1985) Parasocial Interaction Index to apply this measure to bonds individuals form with present-day political figures. Furthermore, this study explores how the modern media environment, including social media, facilitates the development of these relationships and how politicians may purposefully create these bonds through their use of social media.

Author

• Samantha Register, University of Colorado Boulder