The phrase “parasocial relationship” is a previously somewhat obscure sociological term that has been batted about the internet with greater and greater frequency—a spreading usage reflecting the increase in the phenomenon it describes: the belief that we have real emotional connections with the artists whose work we love. We all know how this feels. It’s a different feeling from simply loving an artist’s work—it’s the feeling that you know this artist personally, as a friend, and, what’s more, they possess the same knowledge of you. You are immersed in their biography and by some strange
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