What do we actually get from following someone who will never know we exist? Dr. Maia Niguel Hoskin has spent her career studying that question, and on this episode she breaks down parasocial relationships: the one-sided bonds we form with influencers, celebrities, and increasingly, AI.

Dr. Joy and Dr. Hoskin trace how these relationships move differently for Black women, who are often expected to show up as the loyal supporter for a celebrity the same way they're expected to show up for everyone else in their lives. They use the backlash against the owner and founder of the global luxury fashion brand Hanifa, Anifa Mvuemba, as a case study in what happens when that loyalty curdles into an expectation that a small business owner can never have an off day, and they revisit the moment writers suggested Kanye West simply needed "a Black woman" instead of a therapist. Dr. Hoskin also shares her own boundary-setting story, stepping away from news and social media for nearly five months when her nervous system couldn't take any more, and explains why she's now teaching her counseling students about AI dependency in the same breath as social media addiction, including cases of people treating a chatbot like a romantic partner. The conversation closes on practical, no-platitude advice for knowing when a parasocial relationship has crossed the line from entertainment into something that's costing you.

Resources & Announcements

Want to reflect on this conversation in community? Join us inside our Patreon community where we’re unpacking this episode together.

You can now catch episodes of the Therapy for Black Girls podcast on YouTube. Be sure to subscribe to get new episodes every week. 

Did you know you can leave us a voice note with your questions for the podcast? If you have a question you'd like some feedback on, topics you'd like to hear covered, or want to suggest movies or books for us to review, drop us a message at memo.fm/therapyforblackgirls and let us know what’s on your mind. We just might share it on the podcast.

Grab your copy of Sisterhood Heals.

 

Where to Find Our Guest

Forbes

Instagram

Loyola Marymount University

 

Stay Connected​


Is there a topic you'd like covered on the podcast? Submit it at therapyforblackgirls.com/mailbox.

If you're looking for a therapist in your area, check out the directory at https://www.therapyforblackgirls.com/directory.

Grab your copy of our guided affirmation and other TBG Merch at therapyforblackgirls.com/shop.

The hashtag for the podcast is #TBGinSession.

 

Make sure to follow us on social media:

Instagram: @therapyforblackgirls

Facebook: @therapyforblackgirls

 

Our Production Team

Executive Producers: Dennison Bradford & Gabrielle Collins

Director of Podcast & Digital Content: Ellice Ellis

Producer: Ndeye Thioubou 

Production Assistant: Bria Mosley

What do we actually get from following someone who will never know we exist? Dr. Maia Niguel Hoskin has spent her career studying that question, and on this episode she breaks down parasocial relationships: the one-sided bonds we form with influencers, celebrities, and increasingly, AI.
Dr. Joy and Dr. Hoskin trace how these relationships move differently for Black women, who are often expected to show up as the loyal supporter for a celebrity the same way they're expected to show up for everyone else in their lives. They use the backlash against the owner and founder of the global luxury fashion brand Hanifa, Anifa Mvuemba, as a case study in what happens when that loyalty curdles into an expectation that a small business owner can never have an off day, and they revisit the moment writers suggested Kanye West simply needed "a Black woman" instead of a therapist. Dr. Hoskin also shares her own boundary-setting story, stepping away from news and social media for nearly five months when her nervous system couldn't take any more, and explains why she's now teaching her counseling students about AI dependency in the same breath as social media addiction, including cases of people treating a chatbot like a romantic partner. The conversation closes on practical, no-platitude advice for knowing when a parasocial relationship has crossed the line from entertainment into something that's costing you.
Resources &amp; Announcements
Want to reflect on this conversation in community?&nbsp;Join us inside our&nbsp;<a href="https://community.therapyforblackgirls.com/">Patreon</a>&nbsp;community where we&rsquo;re unpacking this episode together.
You can now catch episodes of the Therapy for Black Girls podcast on&nbsp;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/@therapyforblackgirls">YouTube</a>. Be sure to subscribe to get new episodes every week.&nbsp;
Did you know you can leave us a voice note with your questions for the podcast? If you have a question you'd like some feedback on, topics you'd like to hear covered, or want to suggest movies or books for us to review, drop us a message at<a href="https://memo.fm/therapyforblackgirls">&nbsp;memo.fm/therapyforblackgirls</a>&nbsp;and let us know what&rsquo;s on your mind. We just might share it on the podcast.
Grab your copy of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.sisterhoodheals.com/">Sisterhood Heals.</a>
&nbsp;
Where to Find Our Guest
<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/maiahoskin/">Forbes</a>
<a href="https://www.instagram.com/dr.maia_">Instagram</a>
<a href="https://scholars.lmu.edu/en/persons/maia-hoskin/">Loyola Marymount University</a>
&nbsp;
Stay Connected​<a href="https://click.convertkit-mail.com/27uv20p9mpioh8edr34s8ug63w344hg/58hvh8ug08p6wzc6/dGhlcmFweWZvcmJsYWNrZ2lybHMuY29tb3JibGFja2dpcmxzLmNvbS9wYXRyZW9u" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://click.convertkit-mail.com/27uv20p9mpioh8edr34s8ug63w344hg/58hvh8ug08p6wzc6/dGhlcmFweWZvcmJsYWNrZ2lybHMuY29tb3JibGFja2dpcmxzLmNvbS9wYXRyZW9u&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1748492695474000&amp;usg=AOvVaw0jCyXCs32ITtLc68f4b9DW"> </a>
Is there a topic you'd like covered on the podcast? Submit it at&nbsp;<a href="https://www.therapyforblackgirls.com/mailbox">therapyforblackgirls.com/mailbox</a>.
If you're looking for a therapist in your area, check out the directory at&nbsp;<a href="https://www.therapyforblackgirls.com/directory">https://www.therapyforblackgirls.com/directory</a>.
Grab your copy of our guided affirmation and other TBG Merch at&nbsp;<a href="https://therapyforblackgirls.com/shop">therapyforblackgirls.com/shop</a>.
The hashtag for the podcast is&nbsp;#TBGinSession.
&nbsp;
Make sure to follow us on social media:
Instagram:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.instagram.com/therapyforblackgirls">@therapyforblackgirls</a>
Facebook:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.facebook.com/therapyforblackgirls">@therapyforblackgirls</a>
&nbsp;
Our Production Team
Executive Producers: Dennison Bradford &amp; Gabrielle Collins
Director of Podcast &amp; Digital Content: Ellice Ellis
Producer: Ndeye Thioubou&nbsp;
Production Assistant: Bria Mosley

The Therapy for Black Girls podcast is a weekly conversation with Dr. Joy Harden Bradford, a licensed psychologist in Atlanta, Georgia, about all things mental health, personal development, and all the small decisions we can make to become the best possible version of ourselves.

Therapy for Black Girls

Session 470: Parasocial Relationships

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/c8b9d5b0-40f0-4cc2-93fd-b47a00521951/transcript