Parasocial Breakups with Traditional Celebrities as a Consequence of Scandals Involving Them: Image Repair Strategies

There are several studies within the scientific discourse that claim that strong parasocial relationships are formed with traditional celebrities based on a certain attractive image. At the same time, in an era of increased media influence, there is a growing interest in examining how negative information regarding celebrities affects these parasocial relationships and even leads to their breakup. Scandals are a common catalyst for so-called "parasocial breakups", but there is limited research within the academic debate that explores ways to prevent them between fans and celebrities. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to identify image repair strategies for traditional celebrities that prevent or minimize the risk of parasocial breakups in situations of scandals. Based on the findings of the study, it was possible to identify image strategies that parasocial fans perceive as the most relevant and desirable in the context of scandals, as well as to provide certain recommendations for their implementation.