Arthur Fyodorov
With growing popularity and demand for crime-based media and Netflix's investment in the genre, what kind of relationships does the audience build with the criminal and investigative characters they watch? This study investigated the types of parasocial relationships the audience forms with criminal and investigative characters in crime media. A variety of types were identified including viewers expressing feelings of friendship or romance towards characters. Viewers also simply discussed the given show. The findings suggest that these crime shows not only entertain viewers but may also facilitate parasocial bonds that viewers become emotionally invested in, which may help explain their continued popularity.
This thesis explored the types of parasocial relationships viewers may have towards criminal and investigative protagonists. This qualitative study employed a deductive thematic analysis using the "multiple-PSR scale" by Tukachinsky (2010) and Fathallah's (2022) research to guide theme development. Data were collected from subreddits about Hannibal, MindHunter and DAHMER.
The findings revealed that viewers not only engage in casual discussions about crime-media but also engage with criminal and investigative protagonists through the following distinct parasocial relationship types:
- Parasocial Romance which includes physical and emotional attraction.
- Parasocial Friendship which includes friend-like communication, support, and companionship.
- Lustful Attachment which includes sexual attraction.
In addition, an inductive theme, Media Discussion excludes any parasocial bonds and centres on simply discussing the media.
This study suggests that parasocial relationships are an important aspect of viewers' psychological engagement with crime based media. It contributes to the psychology of new media and entertainment and forensic psychology by exemplifying various parasocial relationship types and considering how they may shape viewers' attitudes towards crime, justice and morality.
Hello, My name is Arthur! I have been studying ‘Applied Psychology’ in IADT since 2022, which has certainly enhanced my understanding of the subject and allowed me to connect with others based on common interest of psychology, becoming great friends as a result, who have encouraged me to do well in my studies and develop my personal hobbies of photography, fitness, and perfumery.
During my studies at IADT, some of my notable contributions were:
- Volunteering at Barretstown three times in 3rd Year.
- Participating in ERASMUS ‘Legal Psychology’ BIP at Tallinn University, Estonia 2025.
- Committee member and appointed photographer for PSI Congress 2025.
- Photographer for ERASMUS 'Cyberpsychology' BIP at IADT 2026.
