Date of Graduation

5-2026

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelor of Arts in Journalism

Degree Level

Undergraduate

Department

Journalism

Advisor/Mentor

Tackett, Teresa

Committee Member

Foster, Bobbie

Second Committee Member

Younger, Shannon

Abstract

This study examines how fans of the girl group KATSEYE interact with each other on TikTok and explores how their discourse may reflect indicators of parasocial relationships. The study is guided by parasocial relationship literature, participatory culture theory, and the Celebrity Attitudes Scale (McCutcheon, Lange, & Houran, 2002), which identifies varying levels and intensities of celebrity worship and emotional investment. The study addresses two research questions: RQ1: How do KATSEYE fans talk about the group and interact with one another on TikTok, and RQ2: How are indicators of parasocial closeness expressed in KATSEYE fan discourse? To answer these questions, a theory-informed qualitative content analysis was conducted on 15 TikTok videos posted with #katseye and their comment sections were analyzed to identify recurring themes in fandom discourse. Three primary themes emerged: (1) Humor and Achievements Building Community, fans use humor and celebrate achievements to strengthen fandom identity; (2) Admiration Amplifying Personas, fans interpret and assign members’ appearances, personalities, and relationships; (3) Emotional Investment Creating Rifts, strong emotional attachment leads to defense of members and conflict within the fandom. From the findings, fandom discourse often included language that suggested a first-hand familiarity with the members’ personalities and emotions, indicating a possible parasocial relationship. Fandom discourse also reflected a high participatory culture that may influence the creation and facilitation of parasocial relationships. This study contributes to fandom and social media research by examining how TikTok may facilitate parasocial relationships through fandom participatory interactions.

Keywords

TikTok; Fandom studies; music fandoms; parasocial relationships; KATSEYE; celebrity studies

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