• Asian Journal for Public Opinion Research
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• v.12 no.3
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• pp.166-183
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• 2024

Revisiting the classic conceptualization of parasocial relationships, the current article examines the potential parasocial relationships established with live streamers. More specifically, this research investigates the relationship between exposure and viewer engagement during live streaming, homophily of attitudes, and parasocial relationships with a live streamer. An online survey was conducted with samples in South Korea (n = 504) and the United States (n = 510) in 2020. The hierarchical linear regression analysis shows that in both countries live streaming exposure, engagement during a live stream (e.g., expressing opinions in the chat, donating money, receiving reactions from a streamer), and perceived homophily of attitudes with a live streamer are positively related to perceptions of parasocial relationships. The results confirm parasocial relationships with live streamers are a global phenomenon.