A parasocial relationship is a one-sided relationship that a media user engages in with a media persona.
Donald Horton and R. Richard Wohl originated the concept of parasocial relationships in 1956, when they published their seminal article Observations on Intimacy at Distance" in the journal Psychiatry.
"Parasocial relationships are one-sided emotional bonds with media figures. They begin with parasocial interactions during media use and can evolve into parasocial attachments, providing comfort."