Richard Wohl (1921 – November 15, 1957) was a sociologist known for coining the term "

parasocial interaction Parasocial interaction (PSI) refers to a kind of psychological relationship experienced by an audience in their mediated encounters with performers in the mass media, particularly on television and on online platforms. Viewers or listeners com ...

s" defined as a sense of friendship or relationship that viewers form with media personae. His influential paper, co-authored with Donald Horton, was published in 1956. He died of

cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Possible signs and symptoms include a lump, abnormal b ...

in 1957.

References

republished
in ''Particip@tions'' 3 (1) * {{DEFAULTSORT:Wohl, Richard 1921 births 1957 deaths American sociologists