Presumed Intimacy: Parasocial Interaction in Media, Society and Celebrity Culture

‘Presumed intimacy’ refers to a relationship that requires instant trust, confidence, disclosure and the recognition of vulnerability. Chris Rojek investigates the impact of relationships of ‘presumed intimacy’, where audiences form strong identifications with mediated others, whether they be celebrities, political personae or online friends. Arguing that the way the media are able to manage these relationships is a significant aspect of their power structure, the core of the book is an investigation into the complicity of the media in encouraging presumed intimacy and the cultural, social and political consequences arising from this. Beyond this, it examines how intimacy is performed as a masquerade in many social settings – the scripts we follow in social settings that try to manufacture a shortcut to intimacy. A compelling look into mediated relationships in the network society, Presumed Intimacy will be a key contribution to the critical analysis of society, media and culture.

1. Living with Statistical Men and Women 2. Chimerical Risk Management 3. The Shockwaves of Trauma 4. The Lost Neighbour Proposition and the Collateral Damage Problem 5. Horizontal Frontierism: The Juggernaut of Character 6. The Accentuation of Personality 7. Vertical Frontierism: Four Case Studies 8. Cracks in the Mirror 9. The Gestural Economy 10. Institutional and Counter-Institutional Gestural Economies 11. Nuda Veritas Notes References