Parasocial Relationships and Animal Jam 

BRO THE DREAM JUMPSCARE GOT MEEEEE WHYYYYY KIJJIKONNN 😭😭😭 BAHAHHAAHHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAAAAAA

SO GLAD YOU MADE THIS VIDEO proud of you for setting boundaries and explaining this for the younger audience that might not understand this yet, you’re awesome pal :3

im genuinely happy u made this, as a content creator who is over the age of 20, i have a hard time speaking up abt this issue. ive had some not so good encounters with younger fans who had developed a parasocial relationship which made me uncomfortable. most of the time it was minors heavily relying on me to help them mentally and it was affecting my own mental health. ive also had cases where people would over step my boundaries and disregard my feelings, forgetting that im human and not a virtual talking png tuber that streams and makes content for animal jam classic. ive4 had fans assume were close bc ill sometimes have casual convos with them in my own server and they would assume were automatically best friends.

You must have gone through a lot with fans and must've been stressful. Glad you are staying firm among those that take I too seriously from strangers. 😮 Man, I remember that happen to me when I wolf roleplay romance and one got too attached to the act, and possibly got in too deep. Maybe it was my creative words that got them. So I avoided them almost two months was a challenge. I feel like I should be a erotic book writer one day when I get older and retire. 😏

Thank you for making this video, it genuinely helps a lot for a potential YT AJPW channel I’ve been thinking of making for a while. This was also very brave of you to speak up about this, because I know (not personally) quite a few content creators that are afraid to speak up about established boundaries. This video will definitely also help me better prepare for in case my channel does take off, so I better know what to expect.

I feel like I’m in kind of a weird spot with a creator I like at the moment. I’m not sure if it’s 100% parasocial, but the power dynamic is definitely there. I tried explaining that feeling to them and said they didn’t see it like that, which ok lil weird but I’ve been making art and kinda casually talking to them for like 2-3 years at this point. I don’t see them as a friend, and I definitely don’t know anything about what they’re like or who they are, and I don’t plan on knowing them personally. I’d consider us like online peers. Like I can recognize them and generally get a vibe, but other than that we are basically strangers. And like you said, with the internet it feels slightly harder to make that connection. Hey, I sometimes catch myself thinking we are friends just because they saw something I sent them. But we are not, and we will never be. I am just another fan and they are just another creator doing what they like. We both have our own stressors, flaws and personal problems. And that’s ok.

Literally all my AJ friends I only know on AJ lol

I havent finished this vid, But its going to be great! This happens to me alot, Since i turn my buddy requests on all the time. I buddied someone once, now they tell everyone we are "best friends". Huh 🤣

new video!! lucky day as i just got back home from a stressful day haha, anyhow, i think this is an important topic you've covered! some people never speak up about these topics even though it should be set in stone, i'm not popular or anything but if some random fan i never knew asked to be friends id be weirded out, like friend friends, yknow?? * i mean, i wouldnt mean it in a bad way, but like, IRL known friends*

ty for makeing this video, it really made me think about my relationships online

theres a bunch of creators whom id wish i could be friends with, i give them gifts and talk to them but they're just mutuals lol!

When Sam puts bouncy on screen and not pickle 💔💔💔/J I LOVE YOU SOUP MEMBERS!!!!!

Very true, while we know the youtube you, you dont know us

the fact that i just realized kijji is 4 years older than me....

trigger warning: dream

I have been forgotten by everyone

So last night I had a dream where we had a party in the library, and the principal found out, and he thought it was a great idea- then we had another one then went on a field trip and it was just me you and your sister and you had a very ugly brother XD- And so my brain made up a whole personality for you and I keep getting dream kijji mixed up with real kijji rip

Oh yeah these kids haven’t watched the older people content saying this stuff all the time

Random question: is this to say parasocial relationships -- even if not acted upon -- are always harmful in some format? Sorry if this isn't appropriate or possibly annoying haha. You can delete this or not respond if it makes you uncomfy. 😅

i remember i had one with bepper when i was like 10.

It’s here :0

I hate the people who say “1st”

Everyone is like this is my bestie, but theres a difference than friend and animal jam friend. I have aj friends but its just boring to sit there and chat with them, i just get tired of hitting the keyboard and i just wanna play.

You did so well explaining this! Parasocial relationships cause a lot of psychological confusion which tends to cause more harm than good, and with content creators (aj is a prime example since fans generally know your username and how to contact you) who greatly appreciate their fans seem to find trouble distinguishing appreciation for support and genuine mutual bonds. You being able to properly explain your boundaries and valid points is something that is very good to have as someone with any sort of following! I hope to see more of these videos around, awareness is ideal in these situations.

you make a good point kijji. i have have situations in-game happen to me like yours, i felt so pressured. i have 6K on tiktok, and a lot of people on tiktok don’t really play animal jam anymore, so i wasn’t really expecting those situations to happen to me. it has happened on both classic and mobile, but it doesn’t happen anymore, (which i am kinda glad about 😅) and it’s just chill.

Anyone eles here after he quit 👇🏿

ive started to make ur videos a part of my bedtime routine and just let the audio play while i do other stuff, like a podcast, i love ur videos and ur great at explaining things and using vocabulary, i could never

I’ve add some people who are fans of me constantly believe I was their friend and I genuinely got called out because I finally snapped at someone after they kept following me and my spares while making a video. Great times😂

Rest In Peace Kijikon (aka my idol) may this account Rest In Peace for ever❤..

Tbh I wanna be best friends with you, but I do understand about this! And I do respect that…. I hope more people can respect you like that

I think this is such a great topic to cover and while controversial, it is very important to make others aware! your points and experiences you shared can be very eye opening for many. always enjoy your commentaries sam!

OH MY GOD YES 😭I accept all buddy requests and clear my list often so I deal with this a ton-- people I don't even know jag me saying "you're my best friend :)" LIKE DUDE I DON'T KNOW WHO U ARE there are TWO people in aj that I am comfortable calling my friends, my irl best friend and my online best friend 😭😭

I idealized sagutayus HEAVILY and aspired to be like her and her animations, and it turned out she was using her art to influence minors to be in relationships with her as well as illuminaughtii with her abusive and narcissistic nature and i didn't believe it until a bunch of evidence cams out cuz it felt as tho they possibly couldn't be like that

I need to start playing again... It's been like 3 years 💀

The last video ill ever watch 😭😢🥺

warning for that dream jumpscare next time thanks 💀

as im writing this, nobody has watched the video all the way thru

Are you human, or are you a ai robot? 🤨🤨🤨/j

I'm going to miss you, Kijjikon. ❤

Honey Badger pets really are amazing.

I make videos to get my content out there. And for fun of course. Its a nice space where i can put things i make online. I dont get many comments from people i dont know rn. But i know im gonna find it hard in the future if i get more followers. Parasocial relationships do spook me sometimes as i hold myself to a standard already. There are people who buddied me on animal jam not knowing about my youtube that already act like they know me super well and its stressful trying to be everyones friend. The irony of small child charlotte lol. When i was like 8 i wanted everyone to be my friend. Mentally unable to handle that lol

This is part of the reason i havent became a content creator, as a 22 almost 23 year old i feel weird interacting with anyone under 18, im still nice to the younger people who interact with me but i try to keep the convo short, however i will say its been hard finding adult friends who actually play aj 🙃

Your ideas and queries on animal jam are so realistic and relatable and the things you talk about are things I've never seen ajytubers talk about. It's really cool and that your able to pinpoint these and spread awareness tysm ❤

NGL but I don't really get this a lot

OH MY GOD WHY WAS THIS HAPPENING?!

WHAT.

Another well put together, insightful, and eloquently worded vid. You have a talent, especially as someone so young. Keep honing your skills. Great video!

WOOOOOO yeah babyyy thats what i've been waiting for that's what it's all about

I like animal jam but I feel to old to make friends so now it just I login in for nostalgia or just make goals for trade or play mini games.

Me collecting kpop photocards of men who dont know I exist is a perfect definition 🙈

great vid as always sam!!

Im not trying to overwhelm/ overload you kijjikon but i justkinda wanna share a story: i made a friend with someone before on aj and at first it was nice, calm and fun, but after awhile it got really weird. She did really weird and unfunny "pranks" many times but i thought it was normal, she even asked for my pa$$word one time and me being the good friend gave it to her. Ofc i thought it was normal and didnt even change it afterwards. She contuined being really manipulative and soon ghosted me. My other friend warned me about her and i soon relized how rude, manipulative and toxic she was. She still comments on my videos to annoy me and still causes drama. I hope she doesn't see this comment but i dont think she really watches your videos. Sorry if im over whelming you or anything, if i am i can delete this comment so you dont have to worry.

Uh huh, yeah I totallyyyy didn't start crying while watching this-

I am not a You tuber but I think I understand

:I wait days for kijji to post: HE POSTS:) : im at school : 😭 Edit BRO HAS TALKED TO BRAD PITS 😶

Wow this happens to someone I know alot

An unrelated question: Does anybody know if alpha items are still available to obtain through unknown fossils? (I saw the kimbarite in ur inventory, btw.) Tried asking other people on the game, but apparently, to them, I don't exist, lol.

You're amazing. Literally!

I enjoy your videos a whole LOT and all the hard work you put in editing! Tysvm!

Hi

So early!

This is the animal jam RU-vidr that WILL tell YOU what's right and wrong especially in a game platform that involves kids this is one of the many reasons that I love you sam (not ROMANTIC OFC-) THIS ONE RU-vidrs stopped my friend from buying online things as they knew how serious it is sam THANK YOU SO MUCH YOU DESERVE $1000000 you are the greatest ever! ♥️🧡💛💚💙💜💓. And when you said that sometimes by consuming media people get closer to you when they're not really that's so true I feel like I know a person like they are my best friend but I barely know them is so true

UMM IM ACTUALLY SOOOOOOOOOOO SAD BC MY AJ SAID AJ IS SHUTING DOWN IN 2 DAYS AND IT DID😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢

First YEAAAAA

MY USERNAME IN AJ IS AAPOPSPIRIT