With the digital age comes algorithms that predict our choices, social media sites that limit the information we see online based on our political views, search engines that track daily habits and personal information, and few laws to restrict this collection of information on the part of corporations. “Right to privacy” is most commonly heard in a legal context, but it is not a concern limited to the law; it extends into the personal. However, the boundaries of privacy within personal relationships aren’t encoded in writing. Using parasocial relationships in the Korean popular music industry (known as K-Pop) as a case study, this paper evaluates how we negotiate privacy within our personal and public lives. In this paper, I outline the four different relationships that can exist between two people and evaluate the code of privacy and the accompanying ethical responsibilities in each relationship. 

Bekah would like to thank Dr. Ragland for being endlessly patient and supportive during the semester it took to write this paper. She is very grateful that Dr. Ragland was her advisor!