Steve from ‘Blue’s Clues’ Doesn’t Know You and Other Hard Truths About Parasocial Relationships
Nickelodeon benefits from an ultimately one-sided relationship, in which Steve from Blue’s Clues serves a manufactured comfort. By Dede Akolo As we all know, Steve from Blue’s Clues is very proud of you and everything that you’ve accomplished. At least that’s what
Predating the Pain: Black Horror in Focus
There is a distinction between Black horror and horror that merely features Black characters. Black horror must engage with Black experiences, music, culture, references, or diasporic religion as central components and must be made with a Black audience in mind. By
How ‘Sex Education’ Gets Modern Sex Ed Right
Sex Education stands out for focusing on the emotional impact that sex can have on discovering yourself, over and over again. I’ll admit: When Sex Education first aired on Netflix back in 2019, I was skeptical that they were going to
Parasocialism and Industry Amnesia in K-Pop Fandom
While “Global North” parasocialism tends to lean towards non-reciprocal parasocial interaction of fans merely admiring a celebrity, parasocialism in K-Pop fandom proves to be a more multi-directional devotion. By Sharon Kong-Perring In February 2020, three weeks before the world shut down, I
A Parasocial Love Story: Where the Intimate and the Performative Collide
As socialization increasingly shifts online, we are likely to form more (and more intense) parasocial bonds and see a blurring of the boundaries between the real and the parasocial. By Sohel Sarkar In 1893, when Arthur Conan Doyle shoved his fictional detective