We all have sources of media we consistently return to — watching all 11 seasons of “Modern Family,” reading all seven books in the Harry Potter series or scrolling our favorite influencer’s TikTok page. People often misconstrue social media and Generation Z’s forms of entertainment as toxic, but being a part of a fanbase can have value for young people. 

A parasocial relationship is a one-sided psychological bond where a person feels deeply connected to someone they do not actually know. It was coined in 1956, after early television and radio studies analyzed the role of celebrities in American society. 

But contemporary parasocial relationships can manifest anywhere from fictional characters to content creators. According to the National Institutes of Health, 57.6% of adolescents reported thinking of their favorite celebrities in “relationship terms.” 

However, fan communities and their relationships with media and celebrities can often be misunderstood. Henry Jenkins, an American media scholar and a provost professor of communication, journalism, cinematic arts and education at USC, said that there is a distinction between a true parasocial relationship and what is considered a real fan. 

“My question is whether that word has outlived some of its usefulness … When I study fans, their connection to each other is as important, if not more important, than their connections to the show,” Jenkins said. “Connections to each other are simply social relations, not parasocial relations. In a world where the members of a band routinely respond randomly to readers’ social media posts or jump in, you’d still have the potential for a conversation.”

Jenkins said that the difference between a parasocial relationship and a relationship is becoming increasingly relevant today. Jenkins said that with fandoms, the fans’ relationships with each other become more common and differ from their relationship with the actual media source, and those relationships are legitimate. 

Additionally, Jenkins compared uplifting media habits with those that are truly unhealthy. 

“People during COVID-19 returned to favorite shows from the past because they were both trapped at home but wanted to be connected with other people,” Jenkins said. “The television can become a vehicle by which you can close yourself out from the rest of the world, but it is not itself the agent of harm.”

Jenkins suggested relationships with media can be healthy, and when they become detrimental, it is more likely due to separate underlying issues. One of these could be found in the correlation between adolescents’ screen time and mental health issues. 

A 2024 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study found that teenagers with four or more hours of daily screen time were more likely than their counterparts with less than four hours of daily screen time to have had recent anxiety or depression symptoms. 

Although screen time can be linked to mental health issues, it may not be a cause-and-effect relationship. Fandoms and media can help young people connect and share ideas. Fans can also change narratives –– making fan fiction and stories together –– which fosters social interaction between them. 

The infamous doomscroll can sometimes be beneficial and provide a sense of comfort, especially for young people and students with the amount of pressure they face from balancing school, activities and their future. 

According to a study by the Office of the Surgeon General, 58% of adolescents reported that social media helped them feel more accepted. It’s overuse that can make parasocial relationships delusional and destructive. 

The relationship between parasociality and media consumption is complex; these connections can inspire young people, but they shouldn’t become all-encompassing or compulsive. It’s okay to keep watching “Friends” every day and occasionally doomscroll on Instagram, but not to reduce your social life to fictional characters or social media.