Parasocial Experiences

This book covers key aspects of parasocial relationships (PSRs), or the relationships people have with media personalities, including fictional characters. The authors address social relationships vs. parasocial relationships as a continuum rather than a dichotomy. They also discuss prominent theories in psychology and how they should be applied to parasocial theory.

Auteur

David C. Giles is Reader in Psychology at the University of Winchester. His work explores the parasocial relationships between audiences (users of media) and the full diversity of people and characters they encounter in media (media figures). His 2002 paper on parasocial interaction published in Media Psychology has been cited more than 1,500 times, and he has authored and coauthored several books on psychology and the media. Gayle S. Stever is Professor of Psychology at Empire State University of New York. She has worked in the field of media psychology since 1988, with a focus on the study of celebrities and their fans in parasocial relationships. Her publications include The Psychology of Celebrity (2018) and Understanding Media Psychology (2021), as well as articles and book chapters in the areas of parasocial theory and fan studies. She is an associate editor of the journal Psychology of Popular Media.