The need to be noticed

The negative impacts of parasocial relationships and the rise of small artists in music

Disclaimer : I am simply a passionate fangirl who is deeply interested in this subject. Despite doing my research I do not claim to present an absolute truth but simply an opinion.

Parasocial relationships are one-sided relationships, where one person extends emotional energy, interest and time, while the other person is completely unaware of their existence. Parasocial relationships are most common with celebrities, organisations (such as sports teams), musicians or TV stars.

The term "parasocial" relationship appeared in 1956 when researchers Horton and Wohl presented the impact of mass media on human relations. When radio, television and movies appeared, people started creating one-sided relationships with characters they admired and loved on screen. These relationships were distinctive from regular ones because of the nature of these relationships which could never exist. Indeed, it was never expected for the media consumer to meet the object of their affection, the latter being usually fictional. It was what they called parasocial.

Nevertheless, with technologies evolving, it is nowadays complicated to separate the reality from what is on the screen. When before, you would only see the character on your TV or theatre screen, today you can interact with the actors through social media, meet them much more easily with the information easily found online and even sometimes have a relationship with the character with the help of AI.

Though today, we will be focusing on the impact of these relationships in the world of music, which is much different from the film industry. In fact, after many research, professionals realised that parasocial relationships with musicians are unlike any other. Indeed, you could fall in love with a character, but they are simply not real. They are the product of someone’s imagination created and written on paper then put to life by someone. You could maybe be attached to an actor and their work but they never truly portray who they are since they are always in the skin of somebody else, never showing their own persona on screen. On the contrary, a singer shows their personality to link to the listener. Through their lyrics, their live performances or even their promotion, artists are more likely to show who they truly are. Therefore, they create the perfect scenario for the birth of parasocial relationships. Fans tend to think they know exactly who artists are because they show parts of their lives through their art which is unique and makes people feel close to them, as if they're friends.

I invite you to read "Parasocial Relationships with Musicians", a research conducted by Kate Szer Kurtin, Nina O'Brien, Deya Roy and Linda Dam.  (https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/276236088.pdf) The conclusion of this research is that parasocial relationships with artists are very different than any others and it is increased the more contact with the artist you have. They stand out because you see a real person, thinking you understand them and might even be close to them especially if you've met them and interacted, but it is very unlikely to build an actual relationship with an artist.

These relationships tend to develop further because of repeated exchanges between the singer and the fan. Indeed, the research demonstrates that "for a parasocial relationship to develop and become meaningful, a sequence or accumulation of interactions must take place over time, and potentially across a number of media platforms."

With the rise of social in the last decade, these relationships have known a climb especially with these platforms being used as promotion and marketing tools for the music industry. Labels started using them as a way to make their artists known, and fans took advantage of these to find each other and create communities, but there is a small portion of the music industry that awkwardly fit into both of these categories : small and emerging artists. 

Social media is now an instrument for singers to find their audience and unsigned artists are doing everything in their power to grow a following in hopes to be noticed by record labels. In the situation of parasocial relationships, this leads to a more complex view of the link between artists and fans. As a matter of fact, I have noticed firsthand, over the past few months, how the proximity of smaller artists to their fans can quickly become damaging.

It seems that the definition of "small artist” has significantly changed over the years. While it started off as a simple straight-forward meaning of being an artist just starting out with only a few fans, it is now interpreted differently. Now, it seems to be more of a label to attract fans, something these artists might not want to actually grow out of because it has become a genre in itself. As a matter of fact, it is now a communication strategy to reach music enthusiasts : they want to become “your new favourite small artist that you can gatekeepe and interact with”. But how is this truly damaging to the music industry and how do parasocial relationships come into play ?

example of a small artist's TikTok using parasocial relationships as a marketing tool

Following less known singers seems to have become a trend lately, for which I have found reasons that I personally think could explain some behaviours found in fandoms and on Internet these days.

Obviously, there is an easier path to the development of parasocial relationships with these musicians, that people seem to look for, which can quickly become dangerous. Within a smaller fandom, it is easier to get many interactions and more attention from the artist who plays into it, hoping to create a sense of loyalty towards people who may start up their career. I have noticed people going out of their way just to find people who aren't famous yet, to be able to create this "friendship" with them. There is a risk for music itself from this situation. Since these people are seeking recognition and only recognition, they might end up following an artist for the chance of talking to them and being recognised, pushing aside the most important part : the music. This seems to lead to the creation of a movement pushing small artists making it harder to find that rare gem in a sea of "small artists”.

The need to follow artists and be “noticed” by them also has a direct impact on the fandom of an artist itself. A sort of competition is built little by little with people comparing the amount of times the artist has answered their message, recognised them in the crowd, liked their post, etc. This creates a toxic environment that some artists encourage without realising. By messaging fans often and creating a sense of friendship towards fans, they feed into these parasocial relationships and can make others feel left-out or simply ignored, which can be damaging to their career. Moreover, an artist’s fandom can make or break a career. Indeed, people who follow you can be a great tool for marketing and communication because they will share your music and influence others to follow you as a singer. In other ways, they can also destroy your image. Parasocial relationships can look very unethical especially with young and impressionable fans and we can unfortunately see many new artists playing into it. These singers lack boundaries in the hopes of making it big, nevertheless, they look desperate trying to bring in supporters by promising to respond to every message people send, to remember their first fans and even creating relationship beyond the screen erasing any lines separating the artist from their fans. The problem is that some followers genuinely believe in the birth of a relationship with someone who they hope might become internationally famous and mainstream one day, feeding into an idealisation of fame and fortune. 

These small artists are creating a narrative that you can be friends with people you are fans of while taking the attention away from their art. 

By focusing on the amount of streams and followers, artists create an image that is not sustainable and also lacks creativity and uniqueness. They build themselves around their fans while forgetting to create a personal universe to convince people to stick around. Today, it is difficult to find, among the many newcomers, stars who have a world of their own and stick out. 

The perfect counter example of this type of artists is Chappell Roan. She is today one of the most followed artist in the world, recognised as the best new artist of the year at the Grammys, all while being one of the most eccentric artists we’ve seen this generation, taking inspiration from drag queens and the queer community. Despite her waiting for her career to take off for years, she wasn’t afraid to make it loud and clear over the past few months that she is not friends with her fans and that she doesn’t owe anyone anything. Which she is totally right about. You do not know artists no matter how much you relate to their songs and no matter how much think you know about them. After refusing pictures with people and calling out stalkers on the internet, Chappell seems to have changed her view of the industry, rightfully so. The singer’s reaction made a majority of the Internet shocked and mad and parasocial relationships play an important part in this situation. Fans truly believed they knew her and the way small artists are promoting themselves is what leads to this type of delusion on the followers’ part.

I have come across a few people self proclaiming themselves as "OG fans", a title of superiority among other listeners simply for finding about an artist before most. The problem isn't necessarily in the title, though it enforces this competition I've mentioned. It has actual, tangible consequences on the artist. These fans tend to believe they know the singer better because of how long they've followed them and because, most of the time, they've been able to interact pretty often with them. The issue at hand is once the artist starts gaining attention and becomes what they've always wanted to be : famous. Fans do not want to lose this "link" they've built over the years and start “gatekeeping". In the same idea as someone not sharing what beauty brand they use by fear of it selling out, gatekeepers of smaller artists simply refuse to see the singer's fandom, that they see as “theirs", to be invaded by new fans. Talking down on the latest fans, telling people they will never get them like they do because they weren't here earlier in their career, etc. Not only is it uncomfortable for the musician, but also discourages potential supporters to join.

Furthermore, there seems to be an attachment to older projects from the artist and a rejection of the album and singles that made them famous. Indeed, I have noticed fans of certain artists belittle the importance of the art that made their favourite creator become mainstream. In the same idea of “gatekeeping”, once they become famous, their admirers seem to like the album less and restricting their artistry. Let’s use a concrete example : Gracie Abrams. I have followed her for years now and have been here for the releases of her first two albums. It is flagrant that some of her older fans tend to discard the success of her latest album because they feel as if she’s changed and they don’t like the direction her career has taken. Indeed, since she’s opened for Taylor Swift on the Eras Tour, she’s become more and more loved by the public especially with her more pop sounding releases. As her debut album was more of a sadder, alt project, I have seen people accusing her of changing her style to please a larger crowd. In my opinion, a lot of these criticisms come from the fact that this newfound fame has made Gracie feel more distant. I believe a lot of these reactions, though not all, are rooted in parasocial relationships especially because she also started out as one of those “small artists” that people wanted to keep for themselves. The direct consequences of this, are the artist being criticised by their own community because they don’t want to see them change. Most of these comments affect the way an artist evolves and I find it concerning that people are more concerned with being close to an artist than them exploring new genres and adventuring into the unknown in their art. 

In conclusion, even if parasocial relationships have existed for decades and are considered normal, the music industry could be negatively affected by fans and their need to be noticed. While the world is changing and technology is developing, there are dangers to human relations and music should be a focus especially when there could be actual risks other than creating competitions between fans especially if they are young and impressionable. Do not meet someone you do not know simply because they are an artist you like. But also, don’t stalk musicians because you believe you are friends, you’re not.