DIGITAL REANIMATION: THE PLACE OF PARASOCIAL RELATIONSHIPS AFTER CELEBRITY DEATH

Abstract

As we advance into an increasingly digital age, more options are being offered when it comes to grief in that the digital traces left behind by the deceased allows for them to be reanimated. Applying this to parasocial studies, this study explores if there is a place of parasocial relationships after celebrity death due to the potential of digital reanimation as existing literature has not widely addressed this aspect of parasocial relationships. Considering that parasocial relationships will only grow closer than ever before, it is important to look into this aspect to further understand parasocially grieving individuals. Through content analysis of comments and tagged posts that users left on Aloysius Pang’s and Alien Huang’s Instagram page, this study sought to understand how the data sets collected informs on the changes in the nature of the parasocial relationship. Findings revealed that parasocial grief was an adjustment phase for most users, and that they continue to hold meaningful parasocial relationships with the deceased celebrity albeit making accommodations towards a digital representation. Theoretical and practical implications of this study were also discussed.