Parasocial interaction refers to a kind of psychological relationship experienced by an audience in their mediated encounters with performers in the mass media, particularly on television. Viewers or listeners come to consider media personalities as friends, despite having no or limited interactions with them. (Wikipedia)
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For this Facebook, there are the people that matter, then there are the people that follow the people that matter.
Among the people that matter, they know themselves. They understand their individual relevance, so they know that Facebook squabbles may just end up being Facebook squabbles. As people of value, you might end up being hired to represent the same brands, invited as speakers to the same events, or asked to join the same Facebook live (this has happened to me).
You may even end up blocking each other, it won't matter. You won't stop seeing each other's posts, or each other's pictures, as your mutual friends/followers will keep reposting them. And that is one of the privileges of being popular. A privilege that both parties enjoy.
For this reason, popular people are not scared of losing an audience, even though this audience is made up of other popular people.
Amanda Chisom has over 6000 people on her blocklist. That's more than all my followers. But she's still thriving. The same thing with Nkechi Bianze, Ijeoma Elektra, Ada Ujaligwa, Victor Daniel, Victor Ruth, etc. You block them, they block you, they don't care. You will still see them and hear about them whether you like it or not.
Now the problem is when people who are not popular get into a squabble with a popular person. The moment that popular person blocks you or you block them, you cease to exist in their space. They will never see any reposts of anything you write. They will never see any brand using your pictures to promote their products or services. You will never be co-guests at any event. You will never be co-guests at any lives.
You, on the other hand, will continue to see that popular person regularly, or almost every day. And each time you do, it will sting inside that you can no longer reach them. There was already a distance between the two of you since you did not have any sort of familiarity with this person, but now that distance has become a statement of fact.
Imagine being forced to see a person who does not see you. Imagine being influenced by a person who is not influenced by you.
That is the dark side of parasociaism. You alone nurtured the admiration and you alone will nurture the resentment.
I used to follow a few Nigerian celebrities on Instagram. Do you think that any of them has noticed that I haven't been active in over a month? But they always notice any time Tunde Ednut loses his account. They even promote him to help him get his followers back.
When you understand these relationship dynamics and you accept that as a Nigerian, you are wired to feel entitled when it comes to popular people, you will adjust, or readjust. And it will no longer hurt you so much when a popular person removes you from their space or when you can no longer have access to them because they have decided to shut down the space completely.
If you don't grow to reach this level of self-awareness, you will keep falling deep into the dark side of parasocialism. And the only person to hurt will always be you.
You are a follower, a soldier. Soldier go, soldier come.
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