The word parasocial is defined as “a relationship characterized by a one-sided, unreciprocated sense of intimacy felt by a fan or follower for a well-known or prominent figure (typically a media celebrity), in which the fan or follower comes to feel that they know the celebrity as a friend.”
Parasocial relationships have been a growing problem within the media. According to the Cambridge Dictionary the phrase was crowned as the 2025 Word of the Year.
These strange, one-sided relationships were just the early stages of parasocialism, and it would only evolve and grow, and the normal fan behaviors that used to be present would quickly fade. With the rise of the digital age, social media quickly became an unstoppable force to connect online. People are no longer exclusively super fans of stars, but also influencers that share their lives online, commonly forming fanbases on TikTok and Instagram.
The rise of these social media platforms has formed a new wave of parasocialism as these “A- List,” influencers post videos and updates their platforms daily, often posting behind- -the-scenes content. This allows their followers to consume so much of their life they begin to feel a relationship with the influencer, when in reality there are no feelings reciprocated.
One popular influencer who has dominated the TikTok game in recent years is Alix Earle, who has a whopping 8.3 million followers on her account. Earle got her start by doing “Get Ready With Me” videos and attracted an audience of teenage girls. Since then she has become more of a public interest, same with her life.
Earle was in a two year long relationship with NFL player Braxtion Berrios until late 2025. Following the end of their relationship, Earle posted a video on her TikTok page to inform her fans of the breakup. The video gained around 25.8 million views and led to a massive reaction from her followers.
The dramatic and mournful comments read as if someone had died, including, “Fully in tears in bed, this is so authentic and beautiful,” “How can I hug someone through the internet,” and “This actually hurts more than my own breakup did.”
“I thought it was so sad because they were perfect together,” senior Addi Cooper said. “It is just so confusing on why they broke up, there is no point.”
Cooper, along with many other teenage girls, has followed Earle for quite some time and feels a connection with Earle because she relates to her and her content.
It is understandable for fans to be upset over their idol going through a hard time, but what has occurred with this instance, is exactly why parasocial relationships are unhealthy.
This is alarming because when these followers or “stans” or “overzealous obsessive fans of a particular celebrity,” start to attach their own feelings so heavily into a stranger’s life, there is a possibility that they won’t be able to separate these internet connections from real life connections.
It has also gotten easier for fans to feel like they are close with a celebrity due to easier accessibility. With the use of tiktok lives, users may leave comments on screen, and it is easy for the influencer or celebrity to acknowledge the question or reply, validating the follower that they are seen by their idol.
While this engagement to fans is a strategic appeal for celebs to seem closer to fans, it is often taken too far, and fans read the engagement as a friendship rather than what it really is.
One tweet from a stan of Ariana Grande fan from 2020 stated, “Ariana should have a sleepover with us in her apartment in New York and I am literally in tears at the thought of how cute this idea is, just imagine it, we talk about our feelings, depression, anxiety, and mental illness” This user then mentioned Grande’s username and closed the tweet with “love u.”
These extremely one sided relationships feel real to the fan, and they become dependent on the theme. It hurts the user deeply when their idol goes missing in action (M.I.A) or isn’t active as frequently, birthing the term parasocial breakups.
Parasocial breakups are when fans feel betrayed, lonely, and isolated, all because of inactivity from their favorite internet celebrity. The feeling of these drastic emotions over internet or public figures also poses concern for real life relationships and their authenticity.
Fans of Emilee Kiser, a TikTok Momfluencer who took a break from social media following the loss of one of her children, have been awaiting her return.
“Emilee obviously had to take a break for personal reasons, however, It was still sad to miss out on her daily content, and I waited patiently for her return,” junior Abby Hagestad said.
With the rapid evolution of social media, and the growth of influencers and stans, it is not likely that these attachments will tame anytime soon, but rather grow stronger in the future.
With these parasocial relationships growing more obsessive and strange It is more important than ever to limit screen time, put the phone down, and focus on real life face to face connections.
“It can be good to follow people online and look up to them,” Counselor Shay Ryan-Wright said. “However it is more important to find role models in real people that are in your life, as the internet can be portraying a false image at times.”
