Video games have long been seen as the exclusive territory of young, heterosexual white
males. In a media landscape dominated by such gamers, players who do not fit this mold …

Research on parasocial interactions (PSI) and parasocial relationships (PSR) refers back to
a tradition of 50 years. However, research on both phenomena still suffers from overlap** …

Although personal relevance is key to sustaining an audience's interest in any given
narrative, it has received little systematic attention in scholarship to date. Across centuries …

Young media consumers are increasingly using online video platforms, as YouTube in
particular registers extremely high numbers of viewers and subscribers. These numbers …

Virtual reality (VR) has been widely used as a tool to assist people by letting them learn and
simulate situations that are too dangerous and risky to practice in real life, and one of these …

Abstract Social Networking Sites (SNSs) have become mainstream and increasingly attract
research and managerial attention. However, there is a lack of research on the social factors …

We developed an encompassing theory that explains how readers of fiction and spectators
of motion pictures establish affective relationships with fictional characters (FCs). The …

Some of the most compelling characters are morally ambiguous, but little research has
examined these characters. This study (N= 313) empirically tests the effects of good, bad …

3.1 Causal mediation model of communication 50 4.1 Agency model of customization 69 5.1
A framework for classifying representations of humans in physical and digital space 79 5.2 …

This study explored parasocial relationships (PSRs) with Harry Potter that readers from
different cultures have developed. An overall sample of 2551 Potter fans from Germany …