Parasocial Relationship Theory in Celebrity Culture: A Search for Success Drivers and Effects on Consumer Search Behavior

Abstract

This research aims to (1) provide a deeper understanding on how traditional celebrities and influencers initiate and sustain one-sided relationships with fans on SNSs through a variety of behavior and conversational patterns and (2) analyze the impact that endorsed content on SNSs have on consumer information-seeking behavior through Google search trends. The study found that traditional celebrities and influencers each approach the process of building and maintaining PRSs differently, according to the content analysis on the behavioral and conversational patterns exhibited on social media content published by both traditional celebrities and influencers. The study also looked at the effect of PRSs on Google search behavior and concluded that social media content with endorsement messages on owned and affiliated brands were more likely to create a statistically significantly higher effect on relative search volume due to the transferability of meanings and associations between celebrities and the sponsored products.