Not Me, Us: Political Parasocial Relationships in the Digital Age
By: Samantha Register
Abstract:
Social scientists have studied parasocial relationships since the 1950s, often in the con
text of television talk shows or popular soap opera characters. However, researchers have only
examined the phenomenon of political parasocial relationships in recent years, and many of these
studies focus on Donald Trump. Furthermore, little research exists on how these relationships af
fect political participation. I argue firstly that the nature of one-sided relationships voters form
with politicians has changed due to advancements in communications technology and changes in
our media environment, including social media. Additionally, these relationships affect voters’
real-world behaviors, including both political discussions and campaign involvement. Using an
updated version of the Rubin et al. (1985) Parasocial Interaction Index, I find that strength of parti
sanship and political interest predict strength of parasocial attachment to a politician. Other factors,
like demographic similarities and attitudes towards government, are more important in the forma
tion of parasocial relationships with specific political figures. Next, in an examination of public
communications from Members of Congress, I find that social media posts that include “person
alized content” receive more engagement from followers and are more effective at strengthening
parasocial bonds for voters who share a candidate’s political ideology. Finally, based on obser
vational data from a nationally representative survey and results from a survey experiment using
the Colorado Political Climate Survey, I find that strength of parasocial attachment to a political
figure is correlated with both traditional and online modes of political participation. Furthermore,
exposure to certain types of personalized content from a politician when interacted with strength of
parasocial attachment results in greater intent to participate in a political campaign. These results
emphasize the importance of public image and communications strategies for inspiring political
participation in our current information environment