This study examined the responses of television viewers to the potential loss of their favorite
television characters. A sample of 381 Israeli adults completed questionnaires, including�…

Social media posts display public figures' interactions with different social groups, prompting
observers to identify with individuals in the interaction based on shared social categories�…

Five TV actors completed the Big Five personality scale for a character they played on a
popular Israeli TV comedy. Viewers of each of these series completed the same scales both�…

Does intense engagement with entertainment media programs and characters reflect a
psychological need for companionship? The research findings to date have been equivocal�…

This article provides insight into one form of audience involvement with celebrities:
parasocial relationships (PSR). To address several shortcomings in PSR research–focus on�…

We developed an encompassing theory that explains how readers of fiction and spectators
of motion pictures establish affective relationships with fictional characters (FCs). The�…

People can develop close relationships with media figures viewed on TV. Across two studies
we examined the extent to which satisfaction with, alternatives to, and investments in such�…

This study examined the antecedents of viewer relationships experienced with television
characters. Based on social cognitive theory, we considered how trait aggression helped�…

Twitter is a relatively new social media website and a good option for celebrities who want to
chat with their fans without having to give away personal access information. This paper�…