The Formation of Parasocial Relationships Via Video Content in a Brand Community

Social media has made connecting with influencers easier than ever. These lower-scale celebrities are more accessible and followers can easily connect with them through their screens. Some followers create more intense connections with the influencers to the point that they form one-sided illusional relationships, known as parasocial relationships, with the influencer. This master’s thesis discusses the formation of parasocial relationships online and specifically how influencers within the Planner Community facilitate the formation of parasocial relationships. Attractiveness, prestige, expertise, self-disclosure and interactivity were identified in existing literature as influence attempts or facilitators of parasocial relationships. Brand communities are online communities that are beneficial for both the brand and followers of the brand. The brand gets free marketing and user created content, while the followers get to share their experiences with the brand and connect with likeminded individuals. The Planner Community is a brand community where the brand is not a single brand but rather planning as a hobby. The research was conducted as a qualitative content analysis that utilized an abductive approach. A qualitative research method was chosen because the aim of the thesis is to gain an understanding of a process in a specific context that can not necessarily be generalized to other contexts, such as other brand communities. Data was gathered from a total of 15 videos, 5 videos per planner influencer. The data was categorized into predetermined categories, which, alongside additional findings, were looked at for patterns and insights. Results of the study were in line with previous literature, reinforcing the understanding that influence attempts are used by celebrities/influencers to encourage the formation of parasocial relationships. This thesis also adds to existing theory by describing how these influence attempts present themselves in video context. Additionally, the research showed that characteristics of brand communities, shared traditions and rituals, moral responsibility and consciousness of kind, were present in the studied videos.