PARASOCIAL RELATIONSHIPS: November 2024 podcast playlist

This month we’re diving into a fascinating and increasingly relevant topic: parasocial relationships. These are one-sided connections where individuals form emotional bonds with media figures, celebrities, or fictional characters without any reciprocal interaction. In our digital age, where social media and online content dominate, understanding these relationships is crucial as they profoundly impact our perceptions, emotions, and behaviors. From the comforting familiarity of a favorite podcast host to the deep admiration for a beloved influencer, parasocial relationships shape how we connect with the world around us. Join us as we explore how these bonds form, their psychological effects, and their broader implications for our social lives and mental health.

This playlist was curated by Cesar, chapter leader of our Boston Chapter. Cesar is also the former (and founding) chapter leader of our Milwaukee chapter.

Podcast Playlist on PARASOCIAL RELATIONSHIPS

Get the full playlist on your podcast player of choice using these platforms:

 
Endless Thread: “Lofi Girl” (September 2023, 37 min)
Endless Thread producer Nora Ruth Valerie Saks and co-host Ben Brock Johnson look at how the Lofi Girl phenomenon has expanded into a record company, inspired copycats, and prompted academic research.
Imaginary Worlds: “Imaginary Deaths” (July 2018, 31 min)
Have you ever mourned the loss of a fictional character? It can be tough to get over, and difficult to convince people not caught up in that fictional world that your sense of mourning is valid. This discussion explores how guests have grieved the loss of their favorite characters from video games, novels, TV shows and movies. Plus Professor Jennifer Barnes explains the psychology behind why we feel a deep connection to make believe people.
anything goes with emma chamberlain: “parasocial relationships “ (August 2023, 39 min)
Parasocial relationships are one-sided relationships where one person extends emotional energy, interest and time, and the other party (the persona) is completely unaware of the other’s existence. The host of this episode has experienced both sides of a parasocial relationship, and as with all things, it can be a little toxic on both sides. But it can also be incredibly positive and healthy.
How to Know What’s Real: “How to Know Who’s Real” (May 2024, 29 min)
Social media has made it easier to build more parasocial relationships with celebrities and influencers. What impact are those connections having on our relationships IRL? And how do they shift our understanding and expectations of intimacy and trust? Florida State University assistant professor Arienne Ferchaud defines parasocial relationships and discusses how new technologies are changing the role of entertainment in our lives.
The TED AI Show: “AI therapy is here. What does it mean for you? w/ Dr. Alison Darcy and Brian Chandler” (June 2024, 36 min)
We may think the complexities of the human mind can only be understood by other humans. Yet research on chatbots and psychology suggests non-human bots can actually help improve mental health. Bilawal talks with Dr. Alison Darcy, the founder of mental health app Woebot, and Brian Chandler, an app user, to learn what chatbots reveal about our inner lives and what they can (and can’t) do when it comes to emotional wellness.
Bonus podcast episodes:

• Radiolab: “The Living Room” (January 2024, 26 min)
  This episode is a piece from the podcast Love + Radio.
  Producer Briana Breen brings us the story: Diane’s new neighbors across the way never shut their curtains, and that was the beginning of an intimate, but very one-sided relationship.
• Hidden Brain: “Secret Friends” (January 2020, 50 min)
  Where is the line between what is real and what is imaginary? It seems like an easy question to answer: if you can see it, hear it, or touch it, then it’s real, right? But what if this way of thinking is limiting one of the greatest gifts of the mind? This week, we meet people who experience the invisible as real, and learn how they hone their imaginations to see the world with new eyes.
• 99% Invisible: “382- The ELIZA Effect” (December 2019, 45 min)
  Throughout Joseph Weizenbaum’s life, he liked to tell this story about a computer program he’d created back in the 1960s as a professor at MIT. It was a simple chatbot named ELIZA that could interact with users in a typed conversation. As he enlisted people to try it out, Weizenbaum saw similar reactions again and again — people were entranced by the program. They would reveal very intimate details about their lives. It was as if they’d just been waiting for someone (or something) to ask. ELIZA was one of the first computer programs that could convincingly simulate human conversation, which Weizenbaum found frankly a bit disturbing.

Conversation Starter Questions:

1. How do parasocial relationships affect the mental health and self-esteem of individuals who engage in them, particularly among young people?
2. What role do parasocial relationships play in shaping public perceptions of celebrities and influencers, and how does this impact their personal and professional lives?
3. How can the concept of parasocial relationships be applied to understand the dynamics of political figures and their followers in the digital age?
4. How do parasocial relationships impact the media consumption habits of individuals, and what implications does this have for traditional media versus new media platforms?
5. In what ways do parasocial relationships intersect with issues of identity, representation, and diversity in media and entertainment