Parasocial Relationship

 

Never in a million years would I have thought that I would've had a parasocial relationship. But after our class lecture on the subject, I came to realize that I do in fact have a parasocial relationship with the characters on "Friends." Even though parasocial relationships may seem stupid, I think we've all caught ourselves having the same problem with our favorite TV show or movie characters. "Friends" has been around for a long time, but I haven't started watching it until a few years ago. I now own every season on DVD and have seen every episode.



Even though this relationship may be one-sided, having the connection I do with these characters has helped me get through some tough times in my life. It may sound crazy but I like to think my friends relate to the characters of "Friends" in so many different ways. Thinking back to all the episodes I've watched, reminds me so much of my life and my friends. The characters give off this persona that they're you're typical normal people who do every day things just like we do which is what I love about the show. It's realistic. They're always making fun of eachother, laughing, having a good time, getting in to trouble most times but they also have hard times. Just like we do.



I remember the final episode of "Friends" when the show was ending and thinking how crazy I was for being so upset but I couldn't help it. I cried. I just felt like I had some sort of attachment to them and that I was connected to them in some way. I identified myself so much with the characters, I saw myself in Rachel, Monica and Phoebe. It was so surreal. I still can't watch an episode without laughing and crying at the same time.


Parasocial relationships are not fake, I can say from a personal experience. TV shows are not just shows, they are people we identify with and have characters we fight for and cry about. It's what we love.