Discussion on parasocial relationships and intimacy

The point is, oftentimes, in these very short interactions with strangers, there is, to me, it seems like a familiarity. It's like, oh, my gosh, are you Angela? And then I say, yes, then you have immediately vaulted forward into a level of intimacy that is a little fast. And how does that make you feel? It generally makes me feel actually very happy. You know me, Stephen. I'm like, let's hug. Let's take a selfie. I'm flattered. I am happy to race forward toward best friendship, but I'm guessing that you would not like it. It's a matter of degrees. I'm always honored and flattered when someone says they like me. I mean, who doesn't like to be liked or even acknowledged? The thing about you, though, I don't think it's so much about the parasocial relationship making you happy. I think you're just pathologically happy and that nothing can really disrupt. But I do think there's probably some parasocial element. Look, let me turn the tables here. I know a about Taylor Swift. I have listened to Taylor Swift. I've gone to many Taylor Swift concerts. I feel like I've known Taylor since she was only a mini megastar. This is now going back, like, 12 years. 15 years. And so when Taylor would put her hands together and make it heart and look meaningfully out into the audience of tens of thousands of people, I feel like I experienced on the flip side what it felt like. Because, look, I didn't delude myself into thinking that we were best friends or that. That she would ever take my phone call or that she even knew who I was. But there was a sense that if I know so much about you and if I listen to you all the time, I hear your voice in my house, I watch documentaries about you. I know so much that there has to be something on the other side. It's not conscious, but it is a feeling of intimacy. And maybe for some people, it plays a bigger role than for others. Hang on a second. I'm getting a text here. Oh, it's from Taylor. We're friends. She says, tell Angie I will hang with her anytime. T.S. you know, Steven, this is cruel. Okay, so here's the thing. Caitlin, who wrote this email, she said that when she listens to us, quote, it feels like hanging out with my close friends. And I found this piece from the Guardian last year titled Tragic but True How Podcasters Replaced Our Real Friends.