Abstract:
This study examined associations between para-social interaction and the four other interactive phenomena in the media: identification, similarity, affinity/liking, and imitation. The results of a survey of 150 undergraduate students showed that para-social interaction did have high positive associations with identification, affinity/liking, similarity, and imitation. Furthermore, the correlations between para-social interaction and identification and affinity/liking were relatively higher than those between para-social interaction and similarity/imitation. With regard to the impact of participant's age, no significant correlation was found. As for the gender's influence, no significant difference was found in identification, similarity, and imitation. However, female participants had stronger para-social interaction and affinity/liking than male participants. Exposure levels were also examined. While general frequency of exposure was a significant predictor for both para-social interaction and imitation, frequency of exposure to favorite media characters and media programs was only significant with imitation. Maslow's hierarchy of needs and other various psychological theories were applied to explain these findings. In addition, a model of para-social interaction was designed for better understanding and more effective application of this phenomenon.
