Over the summer, I watched Love Island for the first time. I have never been one to care for reality TV, but I couldn't escape Love Island. It was all over my for you page, Instagram, and Twitter. After so many people telling me I should watch it, I folded and binge-watched it. Instantly, I became obsessed with the show and couldn't get enough of it.

Love Island captured friendships and relationships  in this generation. You saw a sisterhood form between three girls, Serena, Leah, and Jana’ —who later called themselves PPG (Powerpuff Girls). It was nice to see the relationship because it felt as if it were me and my friends, but it also made the audience feel as if they were a part of PPG. You saw all of the ups and downs between the relationships, which helped people relate. Watching how some of the girls carried themselves inspired me to hold myself to a higher standard than what I did before. 

After finishing Love Island, it made me curious as to why reality TV is so successful and how it affects people. People watch it because they love to see and hear others’ drama, but I wanted to know about the parasocial relationships that form and the thought process about reality TV over the years.

​While researching, I came across the show “An American Family,” which aired in 1973. It was a reality TV show about an average American family. Later on, the director stated that he “settled on the idea of using the medium of a ‘normal’ family to explain the societal issues all Americans confronted in the early 1970s." They wanted people to be able to relate to something on TV, not just see sitcoms of the “perfect” families.

In Love Island, we can see people relate to the show with relationships and friendships. Kaylor and Aaron were the perfect example of a toxic relationship. Aaron wronged Kaylor, but she felt as if she couldn't leave him. When I talked to my friends, so many people were saying how they could relate to it. People find comfort in reality TV when they're able to relate to it; therefore, it is continuously bringing in views.

This leads to my curiosity about parasocial relationships and how they become a problem. Parasocial relationships are when someone has a one-sided relationship with somebody who doesn't even know they exist. This develops at a distance (media or even stalking). Fictional characters, musical artists, and reality TV stars can fall victim to parasocial relationships. Reality TV stars are especially prone to this since their raw emotions are being shown to the world. This allows the audience to see them as real people and make them feel like they know them as if they were friends.

Once the latest season of Love Island finished, people were upset with specific people, which led to fans leaving hate comments on all different platforms. Multiple members of Love Island had to address it and remind people how leaving negative comments is not okay. These fans formed parasocial relationships with members they liked and disliked.

​But in reality, they did not know these people; they just felt as if they did.