'Et Tu Brute

By Joli M Flynn

Meet the Author

My Senior Thesis examines the addictive Parasocial Relationships consumers/audiences develop with public media figures (Celebrities, Social Media Influencers, etc). Everyday people, or 'the audience', unintentionally get sucked into the orbit of the Public Media Figure in a way they can't entirely control. The other half of the study focuses on Cancel Culture and how the two may influence each other, with the resulting interviews introducing interesting results. The purpose of this study is to examine this relationship to protect both the fans and the Public Media Figure (PMF). How can fans better understand what PSRs are and how to regulate them? How can PMFs and their press teams avoid exploiting PSRs to focus on the safety of the PMF? Are PMFs intentionally exploitative now in this regard? These are all questions that defined the importance of this study. This would be a Nonfiction Submission. Joli Flynn (She/Her) is an upcoming graduate at Marymount Manhattan College where she's pursuing a dual degree in Theatre Arts with a Concentration in Directing and Public Relations and Strategic Communication. She considers herself a multi-hyphenate artist and storyteller, discovering new ways to tell stories from the business side of the entertainment industry to on the stage itself.