In this episode of Cubs Out Loud, the cubs turn on the TV and get into a discussion about bears in the media today. The guys ponder the question about bear representation in films, TV and more and how it has changed over the years. Are there still stigmas about hirsute chubby men or have we become “mainstream”? Tune in as the cubs share their feelings on the subject while waxing nostalgia about bearish actors of yore.
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Bears in Entertainment Media Today
Given the changes in the media landscape over the past decades, is there any bear representation today? Do we continue to see fatphobia in the entertainment media, especially when it comes to men regardless of their self-identified sexual orientation? Has the bear community peaked in the media as the broader LGBTQ+ family continues integrating into the broader world society?
In this episode of Cubs Out Loud, it’s time for another Landscape of Relationships. The cubs are once again joined by Dr. Edward Angelini-Cooke for this insightful look into one-sided parasocial interactions. From celebrities to social media influencers, learn how these types of relationships are formed without the others’ knowledge and also the positive and negative impacts they can have on the person creating it. Please like, comment and subscribe to learn more.
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Landscape of Relationships: Parasocial Interactions
Parasocial relationships are one-sided relationships where one person invests lots of time, energy, interest, and sometimes money where the other person is completely unaware of the other person’s existence. Parasocial relationships are most common with celebrities, organizations, television stars, and social media. These relationships are created through parasocial interactions (PSI) through mediated encounters with performers through mass media.
Social media offers an added layer of interaction for these relationships to intensify through likes, comments, and direct messaging.
Alief – def. knowing something isn’t real but feeling like it is
Positive Outcomes of Parasocial Relationships
*Identity Formation
performers can offer autonomy in relationships where they can receive total acceptance outside of parents/family.
provide a secure relationship without the fear of rejection.
feeling a part of a group
empathy
*Learning
Bandura’s Social Learning Theory says that social behavior is learning and imitating the behaviors of others.
Shows like Mr. Rogers Neighborhood, Sesame Street, Dora the Explorer, Blue’s Clues, and more recently Bluey all offer kids opportunities to learn through identification with these characters.
Negative Outcomes of Parasocial Relationships
*Body Image
research has indicated a negative relationship between parasocial relationships and body image, as well as self-comparison, social comparison with characters increases negative body image
interestingly among men, having a PSR with a superhero is likely to protect body image, where not having a PSR with a superhero is likely to hurt body image
the usage of filters in social media (like airbrushing in print media) has greatly increased, giving a false reality of performers.
*Aggression
more aggressive viewers were more likely to identify with aggressive characters and create PSR with them.
*General
anxiety media views are more likely to be more invested in parasocial relationships
parasocial relationships are one-sided and different traditional friendships
the whole hegemonic masculinity thing
parasocial breakups and grief “what happens when they ‘betray’ you or they die?” Research indicated this follows the patterns of a relationship breakup
can create bias in reality
Topics of PSR
Taylor Swift “Swifties”, Lizzo “Lizzbeans”
Twitter/Only Fans
Reality TV Stars
Vloggers/Podcast hosts
Fictional Characters
Tiktok
Politicians
Be mindful of the media you are consuming and how that translates into your other relationships and the real world.
In this episode of Cubs Out Loud, the cubs get sexy online. For this installment of Let’s Talk About Sex, the guys discuss the creator-driven content sites such as OnlyFans and JustForFans and their recent uptick in popularity during the pandemic, particularly for those wishing to share their body positivity and other sexual exploits for profit. As the guys share their thoughts on these sites and their popularity, what kind of impact is this having on traditional pornography? Is this another fad or the eventual evolution of the porn industry?
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Lets Talk About Sex: JustForFans / OnlyFans
The COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 shifted the world economy in serious ways. Prior to the global pandemic, the landscape of self-promotion as an artist was already taking off in the digital realm. Social media platforms like Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube rose to the top of the field. However these entities expend a lot of effort, time, and energy to limit access or remove adult content out of their own legal protective interests. Sites like XTube have recently taken actions that have limited adult content creators options.
Now it’s 2021 and over that past year it appears that the LGBTQIA broader community has become more familiar and possibly comfortable with sites like JustFor.Fans and OnlyFans.com as platforms where personal freedoms are housed for body positivity, sexual expression, art/modeling, and more.
What do we think about this development? How much have these options helped people financially through the past year plus? Is this a natural evolution while portions of society struggle with conservative vs progressive viewpoints?
In this episode of Cubs Out Loud, the guys get together to discuss the actions by porn sites such as XTube and Pornhub and their sudden removal of many users’ content without any warning. From what this means for your free porn material to another potential mass exodus, listen in as the cubs break down the situation and share their thoughts on what happened.
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Suddenly thousands, if not millions, of horrified moans came across the interwebs as two popular online porn sites removed most of their content and user accounts.
In this episode of Cubs Out Loud, the guys are joined by guest Michael Q to discuss recent changes to the donation of blood. With COVID-19 affecting almost all avenues of life, the FDA removed its previous limitations; shortening the amount of time men who have sex with men are eligible to give blood. Listen as the cubs discuss and share their opinions on these restrictions and what it means for the gay male community.
Show Topic
The Blood Ban – the US FDA made news on April 2nd when updating their policy to allow MSM to donate blood if they have not been with another male for 3 months vs the previous 12 month limitation.
In this episode of Cubs Out Loud, the cubs turn on the TV and get into a discussion about bears in the media today. The guys ponder the question about bear representation in films, TV and more and how it has changed over the years. Are there still stigmas about hirsute chubby men or have we become “mainstream”? Tune in as the cubs share their feelings on the subject while waxing nostalgia about bearish actors of yore.
