Meet the Media Characters From Another Culture: Influence of Ethnocentrism on Parasocial Interaction

The present study investigates the influence of audiences’ ethnocentrism on their parasocial interaction (PSI) with sitcom characters. A total of 156 American college students participated in the study that involved viewing a British sitcom and its American remake. For audiences with high ethnocentrism, PSI with the male character in the American remake was significantly higher than that with the corresponding character in the British sitcom, whereas for people with low ethnocentrism, PSI with the male character in the British sitcom was significantly higher than that with the corresponding character in the American remake. People with high as well as low ethnocentrism did not exhibit significant PSI difference with the female character in the British sitcom and its American remake.