Parasocial relationships are one of those buzzwords used by social media users so frequently that they lose meaning. The term is defined as a superficial connection between a character, celebrity, or person that the fan doesn’t know. 

As fandom culture becomes more accessible, extreme examples of parasocial relationships become the loudest. Usually, as these louder examples become viral, those out of the loop might assume people in the same fandom act similarly.

Thomas Bobbitt, assistant professor of instruction at the University of Iowa, finds the idea that parasocial relationships are only negative discredits other situations. He said these relationships function similarly to a friendship with someone in the real world, albeit one-sided. 

“Oftentimes with parasocial relationships, there’s a bit of an ick surrounding them. They’re kind of frowned upon or viewed in a certain [negative] way,” Bobbitt said. “But really, it’s kind of a natural thing if you’re exposed to someone or have access to someone very frequently.”

Bobbitt said everyone has parasocial relationships, whether it’s with an idol or a fictional character; everyone can find at least one in themselves. With social media, this is noticed increasingly more often, he said, and having someone, whether real or fictional, to look up to can help boost someone’s mood. 

UI professor Kembrew McLeod echoed this sentiment, commenting on how parasocial relationships allow fans to connect with others they normally wouldn’t have. This, in turn, can help a fan in their own personal lives when it comes to relationships, he said.

Bobbitt and McLeod both stipulated that parasocial relationships can indeed become overwhelming or intrusive in how a celebrity is viewed. These examples are uncommon, and the deeper the parasocial aspect, the rarer the example becomes. 

RELATED: UI students react to Taylor Swift’s engagement

Take Taylor Swift. Her fandom is one of the most stereotyped fanbases to have parasocial relationships online. After announcing her engagement to football player Travis Kelce on Aug. 26, fans made countless posts on social media giving the star their congratulations. 

Unfortunately, the rarer and more emotional posts found themselves on non-Swiftie-for-you pages. These posts were critiqued and ridiculed by many internet users outside the designated audience. 

When Swift’s newest album, “Life of a Showgirl,” was released on Oct. 3, this conversation came back into relevance. 

Long-time Swift fans, first-year UI student Lillian Jorth and second-year Addi Grace, gave a different perspective on the fanbase. Grace, who has been a fan “since birth,” mentioned how she usually only likes and reposts TikToks relating to Swift. While Jorth, a fan of 15 years, shared how she likes to explore the more out-there theories about what Swift will do next.

“I definitely interact with a lot of the crazy theories the most,” Jorth said, “They’re just more interesting.”

This insight into fandom is often ignored. In reality, when observing a fanbase, extremes do not reflect the fans. 

“We often make assumptions about groups of people and their behaviors that are probably incorrect because we’re not grounding them in knowledge or experiences,” McKleod said. “I think people can be very dismissive of fans and fandom as a way of perhaps even making themselves feel superior.”