Guilty As Charged

If this was a courtroom and the crime was excessive parasocial relationships, I’m not going to lie- I would be guilty. However as hours of Law & Order: SVU has taught me, that’s not the end of the story. Yes, I would be guilty, but guilty by reason of mental disease or defect. In other words, it’s not my fault that I feel overly attached to my favorite celebrities. After 7 Harry Potter books, 10 seasons of Friends, and 14 years of Backstreet Boys music, I can’t help but to integrate them into my life and thoughts.

Parasocial relationships are becoming even more common in today’s society I think. When I was 8 years old and read Tiger Beat I could memorize Nick Carter’s favorite color and perfect date but I didn’t necessarily know him. Fast-forward 13 years to the age of Twitter and YouTube where intimate details and insights into their everyday life are available at the click of a button.

Take Twitter for example. Half of the texts I receive are Twitter updates from my favorite celebrities, detailing exactly where they are, who they’re with, and how they feel about it. This daily “dialogue” familiarizes me to them on a whole new level. Knowing their thoughts 24 hours a day allows me to understand them and even predict their behavior as if they were one of my close friends. It’s delusional and irrational, I realize, but not untrue.

Without giving too much away and run the risk of being referred to the psych ward of Ball Hospital, I’ll tell you that social media was instrumental in meeting two Backstreet Boys this summer. I even met, and had an extended conversation, with one of their wives. There was no awkward silences or embarrassing freak-outs on my part. It was as easy as striking up a conversation with an old friend because I knew their history, their likes and dislikes, their families, etc. Thirteen years ago, I could have no more had a rational conversation with a Backstreet Boy than the man on the moon. But due to social media and accessibility that leads to parasocial relationships, I’ve achieved a childhood dream. And that is not something I’m prepared to apologize for. Guilty as charged.