Parasocial learning theory

A social-cognitive framework for mediated criminological influence, with applications to nihilistic violent extremism and dark fandoms

Bibliographic Data

ID17816367
AuthorsKieren Aris (0009-0000-0388-1681, The Graduate Center, CUNY, corresponding author)
Year2026
Pages1-21
Publication date2026-04-24
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueBehavioral Sciences of Terrorism and Political Aggression (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1943-4480 • E-ISSN: 1943-4472
PublisherRoutledge (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/19434472.2026.2660704
OpenAlexW7155516687
LanguageEN
References cited55

Existing criminological theories predate algorithmically amplified digital platforms and have not been extended to the persistent, non-reciprocal relationships that those platforms now enable at scale. This paper introduces Parasocial Learning Theory (PLT), a novel social-cognitive framework that addresses this gap by extending Akers’ Social Learning Theory (SLT) and Glaser's Differential Identification into the domain of non-reciprocal, algorithmically mediated relationships, a context neither framework was designed to address. PLT posits that individuals acquire pro-criminal attitudes and justifications through parasocial relationships (PSRs) with media figures. Within a PSR, the illusion of reciprocity weakens cognitive defenses, facilitating parasocial identification; the mechanism by which the individual's self-concept and the emblem's grievances and behavioral scripts collapse into one another. The framework incorporates mediators such as moral disengagement and moderators such as social isolation, and introduces the concept of ‘parasocial emblems,’ media figures who serve as symbolic representations of crime, to explain disproportionate influence and contagion. We demonstrate PLT’s utility by applying it to three emerging digital threat vectors: Nihilistic Violent Extremism, the decentralized 764 network, and True Crime dark fandoms. This paper details the theoretical model, addresses limitations, and concludes with directions for future empirical research on mediated radicalization.

Fundamentalism · Great Rift · Poison control · Terrorism · Violent extremism · Crime, Deviance, and Social Control · Sociology and Norbert Elias · Terrorism, Counterterrorism, and Political Violence

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