Musician interaction via social networking sites: Celebrity attitudes, attachment, and their correlates

Abstract

Social network sites (SNS) allow for interaction between musicians and fans, including parasocial relationships. The present research approaches the topic from the perspective of psychology and particularly previous research concerning attachment styles, celebrity interest, and their correlates. Using an online survey (N = 464), we considered whether psychological variables could predict whether individuals interact with musicians on SNS, and their opinions about doing so. Findings demonstrate that users’ celebrity attitudes and relationship attachment styles are important in predicting the extent to which they utilize SNS to interact with musicians. Therefore, it seems that SNS music fan behaviors have an overtly psychological component, such that further research might adopt a psychological rather than technological approach in predicting commercial usage.