Audiences create intimate relationships with media characters in a parasocial relationship.9 Since the audience can see and learn about the character’s whole story and life, it is almost like having a friend that confides in them and lives alongside them. These characters can evoke different emotions when they feel familiar to the spectators consuming the media.10
The characters can become more familiar if their stories are viewed frequently. People have relationships with things that they encounter in their daily lives.11 Since media consumption is part of the daily lives of many people, it is possible for them to create a relationship with at least one character. Some people have rituals revolving around consuming media, such as watching an episode (or a few) of a favorite show on Netflix to decompress from the work day. Another is catching up on a show when it has a new episode released to avoid spoilers.
The characters can become more familiar if their stories are viewed frequently. People have relationships with things that they encounter in their daily lives.11 Since media consumption is part of the daily lives of many people, it is possible for them to create a relationship with at least one character. Some people have rituals revolving around consuming media, such as watching an episode (or a few) of a favorite show on Netflix to decompress from the work day. Another is catching up on a show when it has a new episode released to avoid spoilers.
Parasocial relationships can be built through a parasocial interaction in which the character tries to connect with their audience.12 This can be viewed as when a character “breaks the fourth wall,” and speaks directly to the audience. This can even be a look into the “camera” (sometimes it is an actual camera, if it is a live action piece). An example of this is in the show The Office (American version) in which an event occurs that is seen as ridiculous by the characters and then they look straight into the camera to make sure their audience caught what just happened.13
These relationships usually develop after repeated viewing or playing of the media (e.g. watching more than one episode or playing a game in more than one sitting). While watching or playing these medias, the characters’ personalities and storylines are revealed and the audience might become more invested in the plot and world that the characters are living in. During this process of vicariously living the characters’ lives, the audience member could become attached to both the media and the characters in it.14
These relationships usually develop after repeated viewing or playing of the media (e.g. watching more than one episode or playing a game in more than one sitting). While watching or playing these medias, the characters’ personalities and storylines are revealed and the audience might become more invested in the plot and world that the characters are living in. During this process of vicariously living the characters’ lives, the audience member could become attached to both the media and the characters in it.14
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9 J. Kokesh and M. Sternadori, "The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: A Qualitative Study of How Young Adult Fiction Affects Identity Construction," Atlantic Journal of Communication 23, no. 3 (2015): 139–158, https://doi.org/10.1080/15456870.2015.1013104.
10 A. E. Hall, "Identification and Parasocial Relationships with Characters from Star Wars: The Force Awakens," Psychology of Popular Media Culture (2017), https://doi.org/10.1037/ppm0000160.
11 J. Banks and N. D. Bowman, "Avatars Are (Sometimes) People Too: Linguistic Indicators of Parasocial and Social Ties in Player–Avatar Relationships," New Media & Society 18, no. 7 (2016): 1257–1276, https://doi.org/10.1177/1461444814554898.
12 S. E. Branch, K. M. Wilson, and C. R. Agnew, "Committed to Oprah, Homer, or House: Using the Investment Model to Understand Parasocial Relationships," Psychology of Popular Media Culture 2, no. 2 (2013): 96–109, https://doi.org/10.1037/a0030938.
13 G. Daniels, R. Gervais, S. Merchant, B. Klein, and H. Silverman, The Office, television series, Philadelphia, PA: NBCUniversal Television Distribution, 2005.
14 J. Kokesh and M. Sternadori, "The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: A Qualitative Study of How Young Adult Fiction Affects Identity Construction," Atlantic Journal of Communication 23, no. 3 (2015): 139–158, https://doi.org/10.1080/15456870.2015.1013104.