The Origins of Parasocial Relationships

A paper written by Dr. Daniel and David Westerman was my introduction to the traditional idea of a parasocial relationship. They looked at Twitter responses following the death of Jon Snow in Game of Thrones, and they mapped it onto what we know about the stages of grief that we experience when we lose a loved one. For me, that is absolutely fascinating. And now people can talk with these influencers, maybe not a lot, but not only can they talk to them, but they can respond back to you.