Talk:Parasocial interaction

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Lead image

Which is the most representative image? Are there others we could use?

I don't think we necessarily need, as User:Neko Cherise Sapphire Star says in their edit summary, a picture of a person who sources explicitly describe as being "a target of parasocial relationships". It's a very broad phenomenon across entertainment media, and the caption can focus on the depicted act without making any claim about the person.

An image of an act that would be a part of a parasocial interaction (eg. a person looking directly to camera to connect with the viewer) seems a more representative WP:LEADIMAGE than pictures showing what two source-supported PSR targets look like when they're performing effectively non-parasocial interactions of being interviewed in person, or making eye contact with somebody who is off to one side.

Perhaps we can find a video still of these source-supported streamers where they're directing a reaction to the viewer. Belbury (talk) 10:24, 12 February 2026 (UTC)

I already said in my edit summary that even lead images need to follow WP:NPOV especially WP:DUE. The lead image implies a phenomenon of parasocial relationships around Chigul when there are no reliable sources supporting such a claim.

Moreso when its the lead image. Per MOS:IMAGERELEVANCE, and MOS:IMAGELEAD, the image should be a "natural representation" of the subject matter and the average person that is going to look up this page is more likely to agree with me that online personalities Valkyrae and Pokimane are a more "natural representation" of parasocial relationships which is well-attested in many sources, than Nigerian comedian Chigul. I can revert back the image if you can provide sources of parasocial relationships around Chigul to avoid WP:NPOV problems, but I lack knowledge in Nigerian languages to research this.

I do concede your point that an image representing an online personality looking at a viewer is much more representative of the subject than my previous edit that has some deficiencies. These ones were the only Wikimedia Commons files that I were able to find of the subject matter, and I can rectify this by replacing it with another picture of said personalities in the context that you said.

Neko Cherise Sapphire Star (talk) 10:43, 12 February 2026 (UTC)

Thanks. Both of the top two photos were originally sourced from CC-licenced YouTube videos, so it should be possible to take a screenshot of a more relevant frame from them. Belbury (talk) 10:50, 12 February 2026 (UTC)

Commons description: "Esfand Plays Charades with Jinnytty and Berry0314"

We've now got this lead image. What's happening in it, User:Neko Cherise Sapphire Star, and how does it reflect the concept of a parasocial relationship? --Belbury (talk) 15:15, 10 June 2026 (UTC)

We've already discussed this before. See above. This image was also already in the article. I just shifted their positions.

The phenomena of parasocial relationships centered around female Twitch streamers is well-attested by reliable sources and the article has a lengthy section on it (MOS:IMAGERELEVANCE).

You also removed the bit about "even as romantic and sexual partners" in the lead. It is not talking about one person, but a phenomenon, and it is mentioned in the lead. The article talks a lot about parasocial relationships not just centered around friendship, but also about illusions and ideas of romantic and sexual intimacy, that it would be incomplete to not mention it.

If it is not adequately mentioned in the lead, then it might be appropriate to change the lead to highlight it more.

Please ensure that the lead image is consistent with the article's overall content. Neko Cherise Sapphire Star (talk) 08:09, 11 June 2026 (UTC)

It would be incomplete to omit the "romantic and sexual" angle from the article text, but adding this to a caption of a specific person seems inappropriate.

The image of Jinnytty was previously being used in the Twitch section. It's okay as an illustration of what Twitch is, but I don't think it's a good standalone illustration of what a parasocial interaction is, compared to a TV show still where a person apparently looks to camera and gives the viewer a thumbs up. Belbury (talk) 09:04, 11 June 2026 (UTC)

@Neko Cherise Sapphire Star: Can you clarify what's happening in the photo? Is it meant to be illustrating an aspect of a parasocial interaction, or is it (like the picture of David Letterman interviewing Teri Garr) just showing what a person in a particular broadcast medium looks like, because such people can be the subject of parasocial relationships? Belbury (talk) 15:21, 5 July 2026 (UTC)

With no clarification, I've swapped the images. Belbury (talk) 07:55, 10 September 2026 (UTC)

Wiki Education assignment: Online Communities

This article was the subject of a Wiki Education Foundation–supported course assignment, between 9 January 2026 and 17 April 2026. Further details are available on the course page. Student editor(s): Meiqi Jiao (article contribs). Peer reviewers: Miaces26, Donohue55, Dang.hazel.

— Assignment last updated by Samantha (Sami) L (talk) 14:41, 24 March 2026 (UTC)

Peer review

Parasocial interaction

I would appreciate feedback on this article about parasocial interaction. I have edited part of the article, specifically within the "Parasocial relationships" section. My contribution focuses on the "Focus on relationships" subsection, where I added a subsection on "parasocial romantic fantasy." I would especially appreciate it if reviewers could take a look at this part of the article. I am particularly looking for comments on whether the structure and organization are clear and logical, whether the writing is clear and appropriately encyclopedic in tone, and whether the sources and citations meet Wikipedia standards. As this article is still under development, I would greatly appreciate any suggestions for improvement. Thank you! Meiqi Jiao (talk) 19:27, 1 April 2026 (UTC)

Hi Meiqi! Great job!! This is so well written and easy to follow. Your subsections on reciprocation, internal and external motivation, and positive and negative impacts make this well organized. I made some minor edits to improve grammar and fluency for clarity. To further improve your section I would recommend broadening the examples beyond K-pop to include other fan communities, and consider adding a visual such as a screenshot of a fan platform like Weverse to help illustrate the concept of reciprocation. Overall you did amazing and this is really well done! Dang.hazel (talk) 19:27, 16 April 2026 (UTC)

Olliefant

• I don't see the relevence of the image
• Tons of uncited info and unattributed opinions
• Link DoDo to a relevent article
• "One character, Elmo, is iconic in..." this whole section is very confusing to read and needs to be rewritten
• WP:Dupelink problems
• Alot of fairly short paragraphs could be combined
• Citation errors and I counted atleast one external link randomly inserted

Thats what I found, overall I think this needs alot of work and some copyediting, I would recommend taking this to WP:GOCE Olliefant (she/her) 23:50, 28 April 2026 (UTC)

Peer Review: Hi! I had put this within the wikiedu page but I'm coping it here in case that helps. -PSI seems to be defined in different way several times so maybe combining it or also you could just state it once and that way it is more concise and clear. I really like that there are a lot of examples provided as well as you talk about it in different contexts. very thorough. -there are still some areas that say citation needed so take a look at that Miaces26 (talk) 20:34, 13 April 2026 (UTC)

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