Discord is a place where active communities are formed, but it is also an environment where parasocial relationships are prone to occur. This article delves deeper into the meaning of parasocial relationships on Discord, the process of their occurrence, and how moderators should deal with them, adding concrete examples and detailed explanations.
What are Parasocial Relationships? Exploring the Depth Psychology
Parasocial relationships are one-sided emotional connections that mainly occur on social media. It refers to the phenomenon where viewers or fans feel a sense of familiarity and affection towards content creators or celebrities, as if they had a personal relationship.
- Projection and Identification: We tend to project ourselves onto admired figures or identify ourselves with them. This can lead to an increase in self-esteem or a relief from loneliness, but excessive identification may deepen parasocial relationships.
- Need for Approval: The desire to be recognized and accepted by someone is one of the fundamental desires that humans possess. In parasocial relationships, this need for approval can be directed towards content creators or celebrities.
- Need for Belonging: We have a desire to belong somewhere and connect with someone. Especially when human relationships in the real world are weak, the sense of belonging to online communities or specific individuals may become stronger.
The Process of Parasocial Relationship Formation: A Gradual Deepening
- Interest in Content: First, viewers become interested in content creators’ posts or streams. There should be something attractive such as interesting videos, relatable opinions, or appealing personalities.
- Empathy and Identification: As viewers engage with content, they empathize with the content creators’ way of thinking and values, and find similarities with themselves.
- Emotional Attachment: As empathy deepens, viewers begin to feel a sense of intimacy and fondness towards the content creators. They may start to feel like they are friends or family.
- One-Sided Bond: Viewers feel a special bond with content creators and become very happy or sad about their actions and statements.
- Desire for Interaction: As the bond deepens, viewers want the content creators to acknowledge their existence and wish to interact directly with them. This may lead to actions such as sending comments, gifts, or participating in events.
Level Classification of Parasocial Relationships: Discern the Boundaries
Social Level with an Emphasis on Enjoyment:
* Enjoying the content purely and using it as a topic of conversation with friends.
* On Discord, they enjoy the community while maintaining a moderate sense of distance.
Extremely Personal Level:
* Wanting to become a part of the content creator’s life and wanting them to know about them.
* On Discord, they may send personal messages or show excessive reactions.
* Moderators need to carefully observe these behaviors and intervene as necessary.
Pathological Level:
* Becoming strongly obsessed with content creators and potentially affecting their actions in the real world.
* On Discord, stalking, threats, and identification of personal information can occur.
* Moderators must take these actions seriously, report them immediately, and take appropriate measures.
Parasocial Relationships on Discord: Specific Examples and Responses
- Excessive Disclosure of Personal Information: Users may try to confide in moderators or content creators with their personal worries and secrets. Moderators need to empathize, but also maintain appropriate boundaries and provide guidance to consult professional organizations.
- Jealousy and Conflict: Users who support the same content creator may conflict due to jealousy or competitiveness. Moderators need to mediate from a neutral position and maintain peace in the community.
- Dependent Behavior: Some users may become dependent on specific moderators or content creators and be excessively influenced by their statements or actions. If moderators notice dependent behavior, they should gently reason with the users and provide support such as encouraging interaction with other community members.
Summary: The Role and Responsibility of Moderators
Parasocial relationships, if managed properly, can be a positive force that activates the community, but if they go too far, they can threaten the safety of the community and individuals. Moderators need to understand the mechanism of the formation of parasocial relationships and contribute to healthy community management by taking appropriate actions, keeping the following points in mind:
- Self-Awareness and Humility: It is important to be aware of your position as a moderator and maintain a humble attitude.
- Fairness and Objectivity: Treat all users fairly and avoid favoring specific users.
- Setting Boundaries and Communication: Maintain an appropriate distance with users and be careful not to develop personal relationships. It is also important to consult with other moderators or professional organizations if you have any problems.
- Ensuring Community-Wide Safety: If parasocial relationships escalate and threaten the safety of the community or individuals, do not hesitate to report or take appropriate action.
Discord is a wonderful platform that fosters connections between people. We hope that through the efforts of all moderators, Discord will become a safer and more comfortable place.
Now, let’s support each other and build a better Discord community together!