Skip to main content

Sage Social Science Thesaurus

Search from vocabulary

Content language

Concept information

... > social science subjects > politics and international relations > political science > culture and politics > media effects > parasocial interaction
... > social science subjects > communication and media studies > media studies > media and society > youth and media > media use > media effects > parasocial interaction
... > social science subjects > communication and media studies > media studies > media and society > youth and media > media effects > parasocial interaction
... > social science subjects > communication and media studies > media studies > media and society > youth and media > media use > parasocial interaction

Preferred term

parasocial interaction  

Definition

  • Donald Horton and R. Richard Wohl coined the term parasocial interaction in 1956 to describe the imaginary interactions between the audience and TV variety show hosts, noting the “seeming face-to-face relationship” that viewers developed with these personalities. Children and adolescents, like adults, develop strong parasocial relationships with a wide range of individuals whom they encounter only through the media, such as musicians, actors, and fictional characters. [Source: Encyclopedia of Children, Adolescents, and the Media; Parasocial Interaction]

Broader concept

Belongs to group

URI

https://concepts.sagepub.com/social-science/concept/parasocial_interaction

Download this concept:

RDF/XML TURTLE JSON-LD