Broadcast media has long been studied for its ability to foster parasocial relationships, one-sided relations where audiences feel like they have a close relationship with actors, singers, sports professionals and other media personalities. These relationships have also been studied on social media, which presents users with tools to move beyond the one-sidedness.
One type of social media, live-streaming platforms, has grown in popularity in recent years. Twitch is the largest live-streaming platform, with tens of millions of daily users and over a trillion accumulated hours of watched content in 2021 alone. Twitch is an example of “masspersonal” media, a platform that combines the wide reach of traditional broadcast media with the ability to communicate with audience members in a more personalized, direct fashion.
This “masspersonal” mix moves beyond our typical understanding of parasocial relationships, giving the unique potential for relationship reciprocity. Indeed, many viewers of Twitch content liken it to a virtual “third place,” akin to a café or community center, where the chance to socialize and interact is as important as the content offered, if not more so.
Since live-streaming has the potential to provide socialization and support. How will one’s sense of loneliness affect how they interact with live-streamers and the community? Especially how one responds to social cues on a platform like Twitch?
