Is it really love?

I actively say that I love Jennifer Lawrence. I love the way that she's unapologetically herself in interviews and on the red carpet, I love that she's weird and silly in a totally unprecedented way, and I love that she's not afraid to call Hollywood out for it's B.S. I make sure to see all of her movies, watch all of her interviews, and buy all of the magazines that she's graced the cover of (and sometimes I have dreams that we're best friends- more often than I'd like to admit). But is this really love? 

Laken (2009) describes a parasocial interaction like the one discussed above as when the audience response is more than just observing; they participate and interact with the actor or character on screen. The relationship itself is "one-sided, nondialectical, controlled by the performer, and not susceptible of mutual development" (p. 6). Furthermore, audience members share the media figure's life as though the performer is someone in their own life (p. 7). This can be seen in instances such as when Princess Diana died, and fans took to her tribute website to write through their grief. 

One person went so far as to assume that the two shared the same life milestones, saying, "Once we reached our early 30s we had developed our personalities and begun to gain independence. Our husbands forgot how to nurture us and give us the love and friendship that we both wanted so desperately" (Arnot, 2001). 

This parasocial interaction is encouraged by articles like Buzzfeed's quiz Which Celeb Should Be Your BFF Based on Your Zodiac Sign? or 7 Reasons Why Jennifer Lawrence Would Be An Amazing Best Friend. We're reminded that these celebrities are "real people, just like you and me!", and we believe it. We follow their careers, declare our love for them, and then we cry because we just can't handle all of the emotions. Take Cody and her love for Justin Bieber for example:

Despite the tears and the comical air to this video, the fact is that many of us engage in parasocial relationships. The question that remains is how far is too far?

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