The case in summary Stine Sørum Tandberg (39) follows influencer Isabel Raad daily and pays tribute to her self-irony and openness. New research shows that relationships with influencers or other celebrities can feel as real as some forms of friendship in real life. One reason why parasocial relationships can mean so much is that we don’t risk being abandoned or rejected. Parasocial relationships do not replace other relationships, but come in addition. Due to today’s social media landscape, parasocial relationships are more accessible than ever. A psychologist wonders if we live in a parasocial age. The summary is made by an AI service from OpenAi. The content is quality assured by news’s journalists before publication. Every day, Stine Sørum Tandberg (39) visits influencer Isabel Raad’s channels to get the latest news from her life. The popular social media profile shows her followers making the bed and making coffee, shopping in Dubai’s exclusive stores and swimming in the azure sea in the Maldives. – I can check in until late at night, laughs Tandberg. – I can hardly wait until something comes out. Stine Sørum Tandberg always looks forward to a new update from Isabel Raad. Photo: Magnus Skatvedt Iversen / news She pays tribute to the self-irony and openness of the influencer, and says that the appearance without a filter makes it entertaining. – She speaks to her followers as she does to her friends. That’s why I follow her. I almost feel like she’s becoming a friend. Isabel Raad is one of Norway’s largest social media profiles, with 386,000 followers on Instagram and 349,000 on Snapchat. Photo: Ole Andreas Bø / news And Tandberg is far from alone in getting a lot out of his relationship with an influencer or other public profile. This is shown by new research from the University of Essex. Never being rejected Such “friendships” feel to many of us as real as traditional friendships, says Veronica Lamarche: – If not more real, she says. Lamarche has a PhD in psychology and is one of the people behind the research. Researcher Veronica Lamarche is surprised that their research shows that celebrities are better at satisfying the emotional needs of people than personal acquaintances are. Photo: Veronica Lamarche The relationship with those closest to us, such as our best friend or lover, fulfills our emotional needs the most, obviously. But when it comes to the slightly weaker friendships, it’s different. – A weak two-sided relationship is what you have with the colleague you talk to at work, but with whom you don’t share much in person, or the barista at the cafe you are usually happy to see and have pleasant conversations with, she explains. The research shows that these relationships provide less emotional satisfaction than our strong parasocial relationships. There are relationships we have with influencers or other celebrities we follow closely. Or even fictional people, like characters in a book or TV series. Lamarche was surprised that it is so. Do you have a parasocial relationship with someone? – The result shows how rich our social toolbox is, and that we humans have interesting ways of meeting our psychological needs. The researcher points to one reason why parasocial relationships can mean so much on a psychological level: We don’t risk being abandoned or rejected. That can make up for the fact that they can’t talk to you in person or give you a hug. When you feel lonely in the middle of the night, you can just take up Snapchat and be joined by, for example, Isabel Raad. – In contrast, it will often be considered socially inappropriate to call an acquaintance in the middle of the night just for a chat, says Lamarche. She emphasizes that there is no indication that parasocial relationships replace other relationships – but that they actually come in addition. Many people use checking apps as entertainment and pastime. Do you recognise your self? Are we living in a parasocial age? Parasocial relationships are nothing new. However, due to today’s social media landscape, they are far more accessible than ever. Psychologist Eirik Hørthe is interested in the topic and just wrote a column in Klassekampen about friends we don’t know. He wonders if we live in a parasocial age. Eirik Hørthe says that it was previously considered negative to have strong parasocial relationships. However, new research shows that it can be positive for us. Photo: Thorbjørn Thyrum – I have many such relationships myself. I follow many celebrities on social media, and have been very interested in film stars for most of my life. But right now I find it hard not to think about Taylor Swift, says Hørthe. Although parasocial relationships are one-way, he views them positively. It will be negative if it goes over. It is rare, he explains: – The parasocial relationship can become an obsession. Then we call it celebrity worship, and it’s something quite different from what we’re talking about now. Eirik Hørthe likes to follow the glamorous life of Era’s tour-current Taylor Swift. Many people are concerned about screen time and social media. But here is good news: Created a group of friends Stine Sørum Tandberg says that she has no need to have a two-way relationship with Isabel Raad. She comes along for good company, good feelings and entertainment. But sometimes parasocial relationships can lead to something more. Just listen here: The great interest many people have in Isabel Raad in particular has actually turned into a kind of group of friends who call themselves the Raadsquad. Their closed Facebook group has over 30,000 members with great activity. The members of the Raadsquad ask questions about everything from perfume……to Isabel’s dating life……and whether there are good discounts to get from the influencer. They talk about what Raad is doing, share tips and ask questions about the products from the influencer’s own brands, give updates from their own lives and much more. And some have met and become friends in real life. news has tried to get in touch with Isabel Raad in connection with this case. She hasn’t answered. Published 28.06.2024, at 05.16
ttn-69
Influencers can mean more to you than colleagues and fellow students – news Trøndelag – Local news, TV and radio
