Beyond Friendship: A Call for Research on Non-amicable Parasocial Relationships

Past research and anecdotal evidence suggests that many audience members are exposed to media figures they dislike. However, their relationships with these media figures are not well understood in parasocial research. Building on scholarly media and fan studies on anti-fandom, we argue that these seemingly negative experiences are diverse, complex, and nuanced-they are more than merely the opposite of positive parasocial relationships (PSRs). The chapter theorizes several nonamicable parasocial experiences: pervasive negative PSRs (NPSRs) (formed with ubiquitous media figures one cannot escape); competitive NPSRs (involving a real or symbolic rivalry with the media user’s PSR partner); loyal NPSRs (inability to break up with a disappointing PSR partner); and ludic/ironic PSRs (wherein individuals derive pleasure from disparaging an inferior media figure). The chapter concludes with a review of specific media and audience variables that can be instrumental in examining these different types of nonamicable PSRs.