These days businesses are going digital and global. Even decades ago, businesses used to connect with their audience in traditional forms of advertising and marketing. Such as, mass media advertising, word to mouth marketing or public relations.
The rise of social media and advances in technology has fundamentally reshaped consumer behaviour. Parasocial behaviour is a psychological phenomenon where the audience/customer develops a relationship with media personalities or character. Scholars who analyse celebrity culture define “parasocial behaviour” as the relationship which fans construct with their idols, mostly celebrities (Sam Han, 2016).
Some Key examples of Parasocial behaviours:
Celebrity Worship: The most common example for parasocial behaviour is worshipping a favourite celebrity, where fans develop an intense admiration and obsession towards them. As for example the happiness that supporters feel after seeing their favourite team win because they can identify themselves with the players on the team (Klimmt et al. 2006).
Following celebrities on Social Media: Celebrities and their fans may connect, as if they are having a private discussion, fans may react and comment on celebrities posts because they sense a connection with them.
Tv Shows: Though viewers don’t engage directly with the actors, they often develop strong emotional relationships with the characters of their favourite Tv shows. Such as, people who watch television series like “Friends” or “Game of Thrones” may form close emotional attachments with specific characters and get emotionally engrossed in their stories. As for example, the main character of the popular tv show “Dora the Explorer” addresses the children and waits for their response and answer in a way that encourages them to feel a connection (Bond and Calvert, 2014).
Parasocial relationships in developing brand loyalty
By establishing stronger emotional connections with consumers, parasocial relationships can greatly help brands in promoting brand loyalty (Chung and Cho, 2017). As an example, a cosmetic brand might use social media platforms to engage with customers by posting makeup tutorials, behind-the-scenes glimpses of product development, and responding to customer inquiries. Customers develop a personal bond with the company through these exchanges, which strengthens their loyalty towards the brand.
Similarly apparel stores use popular influencers to showcase items and promote it as the influencer always wears the product of that particular brand. Products promoted by social media influencers increase brand awareness and buy motivation, which enhances the quality of the brand-customer relationship (Shahid, Nauman and Ayyaz, 2023). Fans who are loyal towards the influencer feel a bond with that influencer by wearing that particular brand’s products which ultimately develop brand loyalty. A study showed that if brands provide accurate information about its products from a reputable source, it builds more trust in customers’ perception (Erdem and Swait, 2004).
Also, by using tailored communication strategy, brands can trigger parasocial behaviour into consumers. A subscription-based business can send personalised email or special offers depending on each user’s interest and past purchase. By doing these brands can show their dedication in consumers perception and build lasting relationships.
Role of Social Media for enhancing Parasocial Behaviour
According to Forbes, the number of users worldwide who use social media in 2023 is 4.9 billion and they expect this number to jump approximately 5.85 billion by 2027 (Wong, 2023). So more than half of the world population are using social media. Social media sites can be defined as the online applications which permits users to create and exchange content with others (de Bérail, Guillon and Bungener, 2019).
Social Media acts as a catalyst for enhancing parasocial behaviour, it revolutionises the way people used to connect with media personalities, influencers and brands. Its importance lies in various aspects of parasocial relationships:
- Increased accessibility and reach: Social Media platforms allow people to interact with personalities not only from the region but globally, breaking down boundaries based on location and improving accessibility. According to INDIA TODAY, three eighth-grade girls from a government school in the Karur district of Tamil Nadu India ran away from their homes to attend a BTS performance in South Korea (India Today, n.d.). This happened because of their parasocial relationship towards celebrities who are from another region of the world.
- Constant Content Consumption: Social media feeds are always full with new content to consume for its user. This allows them to interact with celebrities who are on these platforms and feel a connection with them all day long.
Ethical implications of parasocial behaviour
Though parasocial behaviour is common and harmless, but there are always some ethical concerns. Some of the ethical implications associated with parasocial behaviour include:
- Privacy Risk: Social media platforms play a crucial role in parasocial behaviour. These platforms have specific privacy challenges. Such as unintentional disclosure of personal information, reputation damage from rumours and gossip, unsolicited contact, harassment, and stalking, use of personal data by third parties, hacking, and identity theft (Boyd and Ellison, 2007).
- Exploitation by Media Entities: Celebrities and brands can take advantage of parasocial behaviour of the audience. They can control audiences’ feelings or encourage their dependency to make money.
- Ethical Responsibility of Media Entities: Celebrities and brands need to think how parasocial behaviour might affect their audience. They should provide accurate and authentic content. They should also promote positive and balanced representation of their relationships and lifestyle.
- Unrealistic Expectations and Standards: Parasocial behaviour towards celebrities can lead to unrealistic standards and expectations. Audiences get influenced by their relationships, appearance, and lifestyle. These can lead to negative impact on people’s mental health and a sense of self.
Conclusion
In conclusion, “Parasocial Behaviour” is very important to marketing strategy since it provides opportunities for brands to increase influence and loyalty. By gaining insights into and making use of parasocial interactions with consumers can result in more focused and effective marketing campaigns. But brands need to be more ethical when using parasocial behaviour in their marketing strategy and boost customer loyalty, trust and brand success in competitive marketplaces.
Reference
Wong, B. (2023). Top Social Media Statistics and Trends of 2024. [online] Forbes. Available at: https://www.forbes.com/advisor/business/social-media-statistics/.
Bond, B.J. and Calvert, S.L. (2014). A Model and Measure of US Parents’ Perceptions of Young Children’s Parasocial Relationships. Journal of Children and Media, 8(3), pp.286–304. doi:https://doi.org/10.1080/17482798.2014.890948.
Boyd, D.M. and Ellison, N.B. (2007). Social Network Sites: Definition, History, and Scholarship. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 13(1), pp.210–230. doi:https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1083-6101.2007.00393.x.
Chung, S. and Cho, H. (2017). Fostering Parasocial Relationships with Celebrities on Social Media: Implications for Celebrity Endorsement. Psychology & Marketing, 34(4), pp.481–495. doi:https://doi.org/10.1002/mar.21001.
De Bérail, P., Guillon, M. and Bungener, C. (2019). The relations between YouTube addiction, social anxiety and parasocial relationships with YouTubers: A moderated-mediation model based on a cognitive-behavioral framework. Computers in Human Behavior, [online] 99(99), pp.190–204. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2019.05.007.
Erdem, T. and Swait, J. (2004). Brand Credibility, Brand Consideration, and Choice. Journal of Consumer Research, [online] 31(1), pp.191–198. doi:https://doi.org/10.1086/383434.
India Today. (n.d.). 3 Tamil Nadu girls fled home to watch BTS concert in Korea. This happened next. [online] Available at: https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/3-tamil-nadu-girls-fled-home-to-watch-bts-concert-ikorea-this-happened-next-2485647-2024-01-08 [Accessed 16 Mar. 2024].
Klimmt, C., Hartmann, T., & Schramm, H. (2006). Parasocial Interactions and Relationships. In J. Bryant & P. Vorderer (Eds.), Psychology of entertainment (pp. 291-313). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates Publishers.
Sam Han (2016). Celebrity Death, Media Events and Civil Religiosity: An Interpretive Media Sociology of the Suicide of Choi Jin-sil. Asian Communication Research, 13(2), pp.9–26. doi:https://doi.org/10.20879/acr.2016.13.2.9.
Shahid, S., Nauman, Z. and Ayyaz, I. (2023). Impact of Parasocial Interaction on Brand Relationship Quality: The Mediating Effect of Brand Loyalty and Willingness to Share Personal Information. International Journal of Management Research and Emerging Sciences, 13(1). doi:https://doi.org/10.56536/ijmres.v13i1.349.