There’s a thin line between admiration and whatever the internet has turned it into. Lately, that line feels less like a boundary and more of a suggestion people choose to ignore.
With the recent Winter Olympics, American figure skater Alysa Liu quickly rose to stardom. While the simple explanation of this immediate fame could be attributed to her gold medal win, the public’s obsession seems to separate her talent from image. They hyper-analyze her every outfit and interview, feeling the need to speculate and create false narratives surrounding her life.
Now, this isn’t to say the public turns a complete blind eye to her talent, as that is what first granted her the attention, being the first woman from the United States to win gold in 24 years. However, it is clear that the public’s interest in her has morphed into something much deeper than a simple sports fan’s curiosity. This is where the parasocial relationship creeps in, finding itself much more accepted than it should be.
Fostered by social media and the online space, parasocial relationships are most notably a one-sided emotional attachment to someone, where one feels both connected to, and entitled to another’s personal and private details. This status is becoming a rising problem with the easy access of the internet, interviews and behind-the-scenes clips giving the illusion of a relationship, social media being one of the most major culprits, as the comment sections and ability to self insert your opinion becomes easier and easier.
There is absolutely nothing wrong with supporting athletes like Liu as a whole, but, the sense of closeness and a need to have a say in the development of her own identity are when problems arise. This extends to other professions as well, may it be other athletes, actors, artists, any public figure has the ability to become an object rather than a person by the media.
Most brush off and justify the behavior by pointing to the nature of fame, as if visibility automatically invites a level of scrutiny. But, there is a difference between public recognition and personal intrusion. Being known for a specific skill or sport does not mean someone has given the right to be recognized as a person outside of it.
What is lost in all of this, is the original reason people paid attention to her in the first place. Liu became well known because of her skating, not because she was meant to be understood on a personal level. When this boundary fades, the focus shifts away from her accomplishments and onto a version of her that exists solely in the perceptions of others.
Parasocial relationships are not new, but the way they grow and play out now makes them harder to recognize and easier to justify. The more content people consume, the more natural that sense of familiarity becomes. That familiarity, however, is built on nothing but the imagination of the public, not genuine connection.
This seems to be a point many cannot accept, as two months later, Liu is still a topic of conversation. In a recent interview, many had their own discourse in the comment section, talking about her appearance, and speculating personal information from her answers. Viewers consistently disregard that she, herself is her own person outside of their own eyes and minds.
At a certain point, continuing to blur that line stops being harmless curiosity, and starts becoming something much more invasive. Recognizing that difference is what keeps this admiration from turning into something else entirely. Because at the end of the day, Alysa Liu isn’t a character built for consumption, but a real, talented figure skater.
