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Abstract
African American female tweens (ages 9-14) were found to engage in parasocial interaction with the main character on Disneys top rated show Thats So Raven. An audience reception analysis of this particular demographic showed these participants displayed essential components of parasocial interaction, which are homophily, personal identity, and companionship. Race and gender were the two factors that emerged though discussions about their perceptions of show, their favorite character, their perceptions of African Americans and Whites, and their media preferences and habits. Parasocial interaction is a one-sided interpersonal relationship viewers of a television show establish with the characters, developing a bond of intimacy through repeated viewings of the character over time, resembling a face to face interaction between the viewers and the character (Auter, 1992; Eyal and Rubin, 2003; Hoffner, 1996; McHugh and Rubin, 1987).