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Parasocial relationships have always existed, but social media has made them feel more personal. For Gen Z, constant access to influencers, streamers, and idols is blurring the line between fandom and real connection. What does the research say?
Have you ever watched so many interviews of your K-pop bias that it feels like you know them as a friend? Or what about when you’re watching your favourite streamer? They say your name, smile, and respond. For a moment, it feels personal, like you know each other closely.
This blurred line between interaction and illusion is at the core of parasocial relationships. In a 2025 research paper by the California State University, Revilla defines a parasocial relationship as ‘an absence of mutual interaction and immediate interrelationship with the media personality’.
The boundaries of this one-sided dynamic can seem more evident in the relationships between fans and A-list celebrities, who you only see at fan events. However, when we examine the dynamics between more accessible media personalities, such as social media influencers or live streamers, the line becomes blurrier.
In a 2024 article published by Eduvest, Laurensia states that the ‘development of live and real-time interactions between streamers and audiences establishes a trans-parasocial relationship. The relationship is an extension of the parasocial concept, where this seemingly reciprocal relationship occurs between streamers and their audience.’
On streaming sites like Twitch and TikTok Live content creators are perpetually engaging with regular viewers which can intensify feelings of closeness. The gifting model of these platforms can exacerbate this dynamic further too, as the chance of getting any recognition is strongly tied to how much a viewer interacts and how much they gift.
Gen Z, often described as ‘digital natives’, grew up immersed in online spaces, with data indicating that Instagram (89%), YouTube (84%), and TikTok (82%) serve as primary sources of entertainment. When it comes to the influencers they support, Gen Z tends to value social responsibility and authenticity more highly, and therefore favours micro-influencers.
The higher interaction was found to promote a level of ‘pseudo engagement’ in Gen Z, a sense that their participation is acknowledged, even if that is not the truth.
It can be argued that all levels of media personalities are likely to adopt a curated online persona in order to drive views and donations, referred to as ‘fan service’. Research, conducted in 2022 and published in the Mass Communication and Society journal, found that ‘people’s ties to media characters might fulfil currently unsatisfied needs for social companionship [and] significantly improve [their] moods’.
Moreover, a 2008 research article published in the Journal of the International Association for Relationship Research proposed that ‘people can use parasocial relationships to experience movement toward the ideal self, a benefit they may miss in real relationships’.
In a sense, parasocial relationships can be seen to offer Gen Z a sense of belonging, not just with the media personalities but also within their fan communities, which isn’t limited by geographical location. The dopamine generated from these interactions is found to be particularly heightened for neurodivergent individuals with dopamine-seeking brains, such as young people with ADHD.
