In an increasingly technological society, it is unsurprising that many of us have found ourselves
deeply invested in the lives of celebrities and influencers who have been widening the windows
into their personal lives. Idealisation and fascination (sometimes even obsession) with
celebrities is not a new phenomenon; for decades fans have invested their time and effort into
supporting famous individuals such as football players and popstars. Chanting in arenas,
decorating bedroom walls with posters, queuing hours for tickets. Yet, the ever-growing
accessibility to information, distinct levels of content consumption and the evident trend of
‘relatability’ has fostered an environment where people feel as though they know public figures
on a personal level.
Due to the rise of influencers and the growing recognition of so-called ordinary people gaining a
large following online, sharing simple but detailed descriptions of their daily lives, fans are
professedly beginning to feel that their connections to public figures are akin to friendships.
Celebrity-fan relationships have moved beyond just captivation, they have instead become
indelibly intertwined – evidenced in the surge of parasocial relationships. These are one-sided
relationships where an individual feels a connection or attachment to a public figure, either real
or fictional, but the public figure does not know of their existence and is not personally involved
in their lives.
Parasocial relationships are continuously facilitated by the developing dynamics of social media.
The apparent inescapable consumption of content and the readily available access to
information subsequently ensures that people, even if subconsciously, are investing their time
into the inner lives of strangers. Many have defended parasocial relationships for the comfort
they can bring to individuals, especially during the period of the COVID-19 pandemic where
physical relationships were unavailable, online communities formed where fans could validate
each other’s feelings about the celebrities they supported. However, there must be a level of
caution when navigating and understanding these relationships. As fan culture has become
interconnected with self-proclamations of identity, the potentially harmful sides of parasocial
relationships should not go unnoticed.
At some point in your life, you have most likely felt disappointed by a political outcome or
figure. In today’s society, it is also likely that you have felt a similar, or even greater, sense of
disillusionment due to the behaviour or actions of a celebrity. The intersection of politics and
popstars is not a new concept as celebrities have been involved in campaigns and
endorsements for a long time – particularly in the US where celebrity opinion is valued to such
a high degree by many. A key example of this was during Obama’s presidential campaign in 2008, here we witnessed the utilisation of celebrities in political endorsements to aid the
engagement and support of young voters.
So, what happens when celebrities refuse to endorse? What are the pitfalls of critically
commenting on politics for celebrities today? For Chappell Roan, calling out ‘the problems in
both parties’ and refusing to endorse Kamala Harris – although still emphasising the power of
voting – resulted in an almost instant turn from admiration to vilification by many individuals.
Some people even considered ‘cancelling’ Roan by misconstruing her criticisms of the Harris
campaign and the current US government as meaning support for Trump instead. Celebrities
are often put on a social or moral pedestal as the current unfiltered access to information
contributes to the dangerous misconception that fans have all information about public figures.
Oftentimes it is forgotten that the image portrayed to the public has been judicially curated by
a team of hired experts to create a particular persona. Fans regularly put influencers and
celebrities on a pedestal, at a self-determined level, with expectations they manage themselves
and thus eventually end up disappointed when these principles are not conformed to precisely.
Although parasocial relationships may encourage youth engagement in politics, surely lies the
risk of escalating polarization in politics. We can see that fan culture and political affiliations
have become interwoven with individuals’ personal identities. So, when this crossover occurs,
there is the danger of formulating echo chambers, selective exposure and confirmation bias.
The sense of fan loyalty mixed with political loyalty could mean that for young people in
particular, individuals are (likely unknowingly) contributing to the dominant two-party political
system in the US and UK. Parasocial relationships, to an extent, are perhaps shielding the
importance of multiplicity in the discourse of politics and nurturing environments where
dissenting opinions are less tolerated. People are often criticising celebrities and influencers
online more than the political figures themselves. It appears that in some cases, not all, that
some people believe that they are doing enough and the right thing by simply expressing that
they’re a fan of someone who supports the same views as themselves. Someone who they view
as politically correct.
So, are parasocial relationships harmful or helpful? Whatever you believe, the recognition of
these relationships ultimately opens up an essential discussion surrounding the engagement
with, and consumption of, social media. Even further, it conceptualises society’s paradigm of
the perfect celebrity and how this fits into the tumultuous political landscape of the modern
day.