Parasocial Interaction and Parasocial Relationship: Conceptual Clarification and a Critical Assessment of Measures

Parasocial interaction and parasocial relationship are often conflated conceptually and methodologically, leaving researchers unclear as to which concept is being tapped. This research clarifies these concepts and experimentally compares the most common measure of parasocial interaction, the Parasocial Interaction Scale (PSI‐Scale), with a newer measure, the Experience of Parasocial Interaction Scale (EPSI‐Scale). Participants (N = 383) viewed a brief videorecording of a woman who either bodily addressed the viewer or not, then completed a questionnaire. The EPSI‐Scale was a better measure of parasocial interaction, understood as a within‐viewing experience of mutual awareness, whereas the PSI‐Scale may measure short‐ or long‐term liking, or something else. To avoid conceptual and empirical confusion, researchers must choose measures with greater care.     

Parasocial Relationships with Media Personae: Why They Matter and How They Differ Among Heterosexual,Lesbian, Gay,and Bisexual Adolescents

Parasocial relationships are social bonds audiences develop with media personae. Parasocial relationships may be particularly meaningful for those who experience obstacles developing real-life social bonds. The objective of this study was to examine parasocial relationships among a relationally vulnerable population by surveying lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) adolescents (n = 106). Heterosexual adolescents (n = 321) were surveyed for comparison purposes. Results suggest that LGB adolescents have more other-gender favorite media personae than heterosexual male adolescents. LGB adolescents were more likely to select LGB media personae as their favorites, particularly if they lacked real-life LGB friends. Repeated media exposure, perceived similarity, and attraction were positively correlated with parasocial relationship strength for all adolescents, but loneliness contributed to parasocial relationship strength for LGB adolescents only. LGB adolescents were more likely to report their favorite media personae as important sources of information on a range of issues related to socialization. Though previous research suggests that parasocial relationships supplement real-life social relationships, parasocial relationships may be compensatory for LGB adolescents attempting to fill a relational void left by the absence of real-life LGB peers. Scholars must better dissect parasocial relationships with media characters when considering media’s influence on special populations like LGB adolescents.     

拟社会互动在年幼儿童视频学习中的作用

本研究采用表征理解任务和规则学习任务,通过比较真人互动、视频拟互动和视频非互动三种条件下年幼儿童的学习效果,考察拟互动在2-5岁儿童视频学习中的作用。结果表明,2岁儿童的视频学习存在视频缺陷现象,2.5岁到5岁儿童的拟社会互动视频学习效果明显,优于非互动视频学习,与真人互动学习相当。2.5岁至4.5岁是拟互动视频学习的最佳年龄。     

Connecting in the Twitterverse: Using Twitter to satisfy unmet belonging needs

The current study explored how social media can satisfy unmet needs for belonging. We predicted that, of those who experience chronic ostracism (feeling excluded and ignored frequently), people high in need to belong would utilize Twitter to satisfy their unmet belonging needs more than those low in need to belong. Specifically, individuals high in need to belong and chronic ostracism should use Twitter to form and maintain parasocial relationships (one-sided relationships with media figures). Participants (n = 315) completed a survey assessing their chronic ostracism experiences, dispositional need to belong, and Twitter behavior, particularly regarding potential parasocial relationship targets (n = 229). As expected, when participants reported experiencing high rates of chronic ostracism, participants high in need to belong used Twitter more than those low in need to belong, particularly following more parasocial relationship targets. Thus, maintaining parasocial relationships on Twitter may be an effective way to satisfy unmet belonging needs.     

LONELINESS,PARASOCIAL INTERACTION,AND LOCAL TELEVISION NEWS VIEWING

A conceptual model was developed predicting parasocial interaction from both a social interaction need due to loneliness and instrumental television news use. Questionnaires were completed by 329 persons. Pearson and partial correlations supported hypotheses linking loneliness with less interpersonal communication and both loneliness and parasocial interaction with more television reliance. Loneliness and parasocial interaction were not correlated. Canonical correlation analysis supported expectations that instrumental news viewing for information was related to more parasocial interaction and perceived news realism; viewing news for exciting entertainment, news affinity, and news viewing levels correlated positively with this pattern. Ritualized news viewing for time consumption was related to more television viewing, but to less news viewing, duration, and affinity. Hierarchical multiple regression analysis identified news affinity, perceived news realism, and information news viewing motives as salient predictors of parasocial interaction with a favorite local television news personality. Implications of results were discussed in light of uses and gratifications research and communication interaction.     

Ethics for Mental Health Influencers: MFTs as Public Social Media Personalities

The increase in social media usage contributes to a greater number of Marriage and Family Therapists (MFTs) using social media to grow their professional outreach and to increase awareness about mental health by engaging with online audiences. Although existing literature has discussed how MFTs can make ethical use of personal social media in and around their therapeutic role, no literature at this time has explored the potential ethical issues faced by MFTs seeking to build public presence on social media as a “mental health influencer.” The present paper intends to provide a definition of mental health influencers (MHIs) and reviews ethical concerns relevant to MFTs acting as MHIs. Particular consideration is given to ethical dilemmas and conflicts-of-interest which may emerge via parasocial relationships developed through social media influencing, as well as how the boundaries and the limitations of an MFT’s professional scope can be tested when presenting as a personable, public figure over digital platforms. A framework for conceptualizing ethical issues for MHI-MFTs is offered, with a selection of prescient issues being examined within the scope of existing ethical standards set forth by the American Association of Marriage and Family Therapy’s (AAMFT) Code of Ethics. Reflections are offered about what questions and guidelines should be observed by MFTs in order to avoid unethical use of social media as an MHI, followed by a brief discussion about future considerations which should be considered by MHIs.

     

Adolescent Girls' Parasocial Interactions With Media Figures

We examined aspects of adolescent girls’ parasocial interactions in the context of typical development. Parasocial interactions are defined as symbolic, one-sided quasi-interactions between a viewer and a media figure. In total, 107 adolescent girls were examined; 94% reported engaging in parasocial interactions to some degree. Preoccupied attachment style predicted the degree of involvement in and emotional intensity of parasocial interactions. Results suggest that parasocial interactions are characteristic of girls with preoccupied attachment, but are also part of normative development.     

Reduction of Perceived Social Distance as an Explanation for Media's Influence on Personal Risk Perceptions: A Test of the Risk Convergence Model

The risk convergence model proposes reduction of perceived social distance to a mediated personality as a mechanism through which the mass media can influence audiences' personal risk perceptions. As an initial test of the model, this study examined whether 5 audience variables known to facilitate media effects on personal risk perceptions—identification, parasocial interaction, personal relevance, transportation, and perceived realism—would exert their influences through the reduction of perceived social distance. The results indicate that reduction of perceived social distance fully explained the process of identification and transportation influencing personal risk perceptions, while partially mediating the relationship between personal relevance and personal risk perceptions. Theoretical and practical implications for health risk communication and entertainment education are discussed.     

Audience Activity and Soap Opera Involvement A Uses and Effects Investigation

This investigation examined the role of motives, attitudes, and audience activity in explaining the affective, cognitive, and behavioral involvement of 328 daytime soap opera viewers. Because inter correlations were found among motives, attitudes, activities, and involvement variables, canonical correlation analysis was used. There were two multivariate patterns. First, except for viewing to pass time, more salient viewing motivations (especially exciting entertainment and social utility), perceived realism, viewing intention, and attention were related to parasocial interaction, post viewing cognition, and post viewing discussion. Second, viewing for social utility, but not for voyeurism, and the lack of realism were related to post viewing discussion, but not to parasocial interaction. These audience orientations and the role of involvement in media uses and effects were discussed.     

Modeling of variables related to problematic social media usage: Social desirability tendency example

Social media usage has been popular for the last decade. Individuals use their social media environments for various reasons such as to socialize, play games, have fun and share posts. Overuse of these environments may lead to negative psychological and behavioral consequences for individuals. Additionally, it increases the worries about potential addicted/problematic use of social media. In this study, it is aimed to determine the level of problematic social media usage of participants who are active social media users and to analyze the relationships between problematic social media usage and various personal characteristics and social variables. Study in relational screening model is carried out with the participation of 580 volunteers. Partial least squares (PLS) structural equation modeling is used to analyze the data obtained through various scale according to the research model. The structural equation modeling analysis shows that there is a significant relationship between problematic social media usage and the daily time of social media usage, the use of frequency of social media for recognition, publicity, communication/interaction and education, loneliness, and social anxiety. The variable which shows higher correlation between problematic social media usage is social anxiety.     

移动社交媒介使用行为对青少年友谊质量的影响:网络自我表露和网络社会支持的中介作用

随着移动智能设备和移动互联网的出现,移动社交媒介已日益成为人们网络活动和人际交往的新平台。为考察移动社交媒介使用行为、网络自我表露、网络社会支持和友谊质量之间的关系,本研究采用问卷法对473名青少年进行了调查。结果发现:(1)移动社交媒介使用行为会对网络自我表露和网络社会支持产生显著的直接正向影响,网络自我表露会对网络社会支持产生显著的直接正向影响,网络社会支持会对友谊质量产生显著的直接正向影响。(2)移动社交媒介使用行为可以通过网络社会支持的中介作用对友谊质量产生显著的间接影响,还可以通过网络自我表露和网络社会支持的链式中介作用对友谊质量产生显著的间接影响。     

Are sales as we know it dying … or merely transforming?

The world of sales research continues to transform as we move more into the world of social media. This article briefly examines a historical examination of sales research by decade and then presents a model of sales research needs going forward based on how social media is being implemented by selling and buying organizations. The model assumes that the selling process is incorporated within a social media world and elements within the model include the salesperson and sales center, the buyer and buying center, the use of artificial intelligence, the teleselling unit, the interaction between marketing and sales departments, and the methods of selling. Discussion follows the model, focusing on how social media is being used among and between units in the selling process. The discussion unfolds on three key parts of the sales equation: (1) the sales organization, (2) the buying organization, and (3) the interaction between marketing and selling departments. Research questions follow each of the three discussion sections.     

The wired generation: academic and social outcomes of electronic media use among university students

Little is known about the influence of electronic media use on the academic and social lives of university students. Using time-diary and survey data, we explore the use of various types of electronic media among first-year students. Time-diary results suggest that the majority of students use electronic media to multitask. Robust regression results indicate a negative relationship between the use of various types of electronic media and first-semester grades. In addition, we find a positive association between social-networking-site use, cellular-phone communication, and face-to-face social interaction.     

The Impact of Social Media on Social Comparison and Envy in Teenagers: The Moderating Role of the Parent Comparing Children and In-group Competition among Friends

Teenagers tend to gravitate towards a group that is highly susceptible to negative psychological and behavioral outcomes from social media use. Because teenagers’ behaviors are easily shaped by the social context to which they belong, it is likely that parents and friends might be the key persons who have a strong influence on the behavioral outcomes that teenagers develop from social media use. Given the concern about the negative consequences of social media use by teenagers, this research aims to explore the relationship between social media use intensity and the tendency of teenagers to engage in social comparison and envy. Survey data were collected from 250 teenagers using a snowball sampling. Results from a partial least-squares regression showed that the positive relationship between social media use intensity and envy was significantly higher in teenagers whose parents compared children and teenagers in a peer-group which was characterized by high in-group competition. However, the positive relationship that social media use intensity had with social comparison was significantly higher only in teenagers who are in a peer-group characterized by a high in-group competition.     

Extending Conceptualization and Measurement of Narrative Engagement After-the-Fact: Parasocial Relationship and Retrospective Imaginative Involvement

Engagement with narratives and identification with narrative characters is usually conceptualized as occurring during the narrative experience itself. However, much involvement with a story world and narrative characters may occur retrospectively and imaginatively. The present study, using a cross-sectional survey quota-sampled to represent U.S. demographic norms, provides conceptualization and measurement of parasocial relationships (PSR) that is clearly retrospective and conceptually distinct from parasocial interaction (PSI). Moreover, we distinguish PSR from another concept introduced and operationalized here, retrospective imaginative involvement (RII), and provide evidence for validity of these measures. We compare them to the related concepts of transportability and boundary expansion, and assess fit using measurement models and confirmatory factor analysis, refining measurement on half the data set and confirming fit on the other half. We demonstrate predictive validity with respect to a measure of self-reported effects of narratives on beliefs and behavior, controlling for these various related measures, and also validate short versions of these measures for greater ease of research use     

气质和儿童同伴交往类型关系的研究

该文采用问卷法和社会测量法相结合的方法,以班级为单位对484名3~9岁儿童的气质和同伴关系类型的关系进行研究。结果表明:3~9岁儿童同伴关系类型已形成分化,其中被忽视儿童和被拒绝儿童所占总体样本的比例分别为16.9%和9.6%,比例较高值得重视。儿童气质对同伴交往类型的形成影响很大,四种同伴关系交往类型在气质各维度上方差检验都达到了差异显著,有着明显不同的气质特点。     

Mediated Identity in the Parasocial Interaction of TV

Electronic media contributes toward modifying the self as they shape it as a multivoiced construction. Television talk shows function as a space of parasocial interaction where ordinary people represented on the screen offer involving images of subjectivity for the home viewers. Through interpretative procedures, viewers integrate screen suggestions in the positions' repertoire of their self. This study hypothesized that viewers co-construct identities through involvement in what they are watching and employed focus group discussions and content analysis to investigate this hypothesis. The results demonstrate recurrent comparisons contrasting the screen "other" and the real self. This categorization marks a strong involvement of participants and an interpretative reconstruction of television images. As such, identity is constructed in the dialogical relation between others and selves in a mediated relation whose only result is a self traveling through different repositionings.     

社交媒体使用对执行功能的影响：有益还是有害?

社交媒体使用对执行功能的影响尚存争议, 这与社交媒体使用强度起到的调节作用有关。中等强度的社交媒体使用会产生社交媒体心流体验, 使注意集中于目标信息, 并为个体提供了持续不断的社会奖励和情感支持, 对执行功能有益, 但高、低强度社交媒体使用则会损害执行功能。今后该领域的研究应该探讨社交媒体使用影响执行功能的“剂量效应”以及社交媒体使用类型对执行功能的具体影响, 还应关注不同认知水平的个体, 以进一步明确社交媒体使用与执行功能发展的关系。     

从一心一意到三心二意：青少年的媒体多任务行为

计算机时代的到来带来了青少年媒体使用行为的变化,其中媒体多任务现象尤为显著。为全面了解在青少年群体中日渐普及的媒体多任务行为,本文首先介绍该现象的概念界定,其次概括研究中的理论基础和测量方式,并总结了青少年媒体多任务的影响因素和影响后果。未来应加强对智能手机等新兴媒体对媒体多任务行为的影响、媒体多任务行为的性别差异、媒体多任务行为的生态化测量以及媒体多任务行为积极影响的研究。     

团队作业与团队互动两类共享心智模型的发展特征

共享心智模型指团队成员关于团队作业、策略、团队情境、团队互动等的共同的知识结构,根据内容不同可以分为团队作业模型和团队互动模型两类。该研究通过实验室实验探讨两类共享心智模型的发展特征。132名大学生组成44个3人团队,随机分为团队绩效反馈组和无团队绩效反馈组。采用相似性评定法在团队执行作业前、中、后三次测量两类共享心智模型。结果发现：（1）共享心智模型随团队运作时间增加而发展;（2）团队互动模型形成和发展的难度高于团队作业模型;（3）团队绩效反馈对两类心智模型发展的作用不同,反馈加速了团队作业模型的发展速度,但却是团队互动模型能否得以发展的决定性因素。两类共享心智模型的不同发展特征应归因于两者特异性高低的不同