DOI
https://doi.org/10.25772/6DKC-8Y64
Author ORCID Identifier
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2394-5579
Defense Date
2021
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy
Department
Media, Art, and Text
First Advisor
Mariam Alkazemi
Second Advisor
Marcus Messner
Third Advisor
Richard Fine
Fourth Advisor
Aloni Hill
Abstract
Social media sites have become essential for organizations and celebrities, allowing them to build relationships and interact with fans. Previous research found openness and perceived interactivity to improve social media engagement. The current study used the concepts of parasocial interactions and relationships to enhance the current knowledge of how celebrities influence their followers through Twitter. The study looked at perceived openness, perceived interactivity, and media engagement in relation to parasocial interaction and relationships using the Qualtrics survey response from 905 participants on Fayez Al-Malki’s Twitter page. The results indicated that both celebrities' and followers' posts employed openness and perceived interactivity, which lead to user's Twitter engagement. Also, parasocial interaction and parasocial relationships significantly affected social media engagement. The results further revealed that parasocial interactions was a significant mediator of perceived interactivity and perceived openness, while parasocial relationship mediated perceived openness of other users’ posts and perceived interactivity of users’ posts. The study recommends organizations and celebrities to build strong relationships with their followers through social media platforms.
Rights
© Mohammed. A Alasmari
Is Part Of
VCU University Archives
Is Part Of
VCU Theses and Dissertations
Date of Submission
6-8-2021