When this media ends, (i.e. cancelled, series concluded, or finishing of the media) there can be a sadness or anger experienced by the audience members.15 There are many petitions for shows that have cancelled to be “rebooted” (made again), since the relationships with the characters in the program were so strong. Sometimes there is more anger when the show is rebooted and does not match the quality of the original work. Recent examples of this include, the new Powerpuff Girls (which was a reboot of The Powerpuff Girls that originally aired in the mid-1990s) and Teen Titans Go! (which was a reboot of Teen Titans that aired in the early 2000s).16
The more familiar a person is with a character, the more likely there is going to be a parasocial relationship to the character.17 When this relationship is built over time, the audience might believe that they can predict the behavior of the character.18 This could account for people that watch the same piece of media repeatedly and can quote each line as they watch it. Also, when new content is released, the audience will try to guess what the character is going to do next in their story arch.
People are more likely to have a stronger connection to a character that is introduced earlier in a piece of media than characters that appear later in the storyline. In a study done by Hall (2017), audience members were found more likely to have a strong parasocial relationship to Leia, Han Solo, and Luke Skywalker from the Star Wars franchise, than newer characters such as Rey, Kylo Ren, and Finn. This occurred because there was more of a connection to the characters built over years after the release of the first Star Wars movie in 1977 and subsequent releases of content (movies, merchandise, and other) made since then.19 The parasocial relationships are being built with the newer characters as well, since the movie franchise is still being released and the cycle repeats with the characters that appeared in previous movies versus characters that are introduced in each new movie.
Parasocial relationships can build over time, and the more that someone is viewing, playing or reading about a character’s story the more likely that this connection to them will become more intense.20 Repeating the same media gives an opportunity for the relationship to grow and have the audience become more attached to this character.21 This could explain why there are many attachments to characters that are from movies and TV shows that people have watched repeatedly in their youth. This could account for children that ask to watch the same movie over and over again since these characters are attachment figures.
People are more likely to have a stronger connection to a character that is introduced earlier in a piece of media than characters that appear later in the storyline. In a study done by Hall (2017), audience members were found more likely to have a strong parasocial relationship to Leia, Han Solo, and Luke Skywalker from the Star Wars franchise, than newer characters such as Rey, Kylo Ren, and Finn. This occurred because there was more of a connection to the characters built over years after the release of the first Star Wars movie in 1977 and subsequent releases of content (movies, merchandise, and other) made since then.19 The parasocial relationships are being built with the newer characters as well, since the movie franchise is still being released and the cycle repeats with the characters that appeared in previous movies versus characters that are introduced in each new movie.
Parasocial relationships can build over time, and the more that someone is viewing, playing or reading about a character’s story the more likely that this connection to them will become more intense.20 Repeating the same media gives an opportunity for the relationship to grow and have the audience become more attached to this character.21 This could explain why there are many attachments to characters that are from movies and TV shows that people have watched repeatedly in their youth. This could account for children that ask to watch the same movie over and over again since these characters are attachment figures.
15 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.
16 C. Linden, personal communication, January 25, 2018.
17 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.
18 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.
19 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.
20 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.
21 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.