Parasocial Interaction Scale

Parasocial interaction (PSI) is a relationship of friendship or intimacy by a media consumer with a remote media “persona”. PSI is a case of media interaction or involvement that “may take many forms including seeking guidance from a media persona, seeing media personalities as friends, imagining being part of a favorite program’s social world, and desiring to meet media performers”. PSI parallels interpersonal interaction so that a sense of intimacy and self-disclosure should follow from increased and regular interaction. Other components of PSI include friendliness, companionship, knowing, showing interest in, and identification with the persona. PSI should reflect goal-directed and involved perceptions and behavior. Canonical correlation and multiple regression analyses supported the goal-directed nature of the concept, linking PSI to perceived TV news realism and affinity and to informational news-viewing motivation. Investigators have usually treated PSI as an outcome of interaction potential and media behavior.