The media didn’t use to be interactive, which is really where the relationships turned toxic. Radio might have pitched you cigarettes and slimming drinks, but it didn’t reply to comments, beg for likes, call out donors names mid broadcast, give you cute little pieces of flair to show off, on and on.

Parasocialability is now part of the intrinsic economy of the celebrity/fan relationship on the internet, and with most things you mix with capitalism, has been amped up to insane levels to maximize profit. It’s unhealthy because unhealthy produces income along with the fanatics.