London: Cambridge Dictionary has selected ‘parasocial’ as its 2025 Word of the Year, highlighting how deeply one-sided emotional connections with celebrities, influencers, and even AI chatbots have become embedded in modern digital life.
The term describes a perceived relationship someone feels toward a public figure they do not personally know. Though it first appeared in 1956, when University of Chicago sociologists observed television audiences forming emotional attachments to on-screen personalities, the rise of social media and artificial intelligence has transformed a once-academic concept into a mainstream cultural phenomenon.
According to Cambridge Dictionary editor Colin McIntosh, ‘parasocial’ reflects the spirit of 2025, with website searches for the word surging dramatically. McIntosh noted that widespread interactions with influencers, digital creators, and AI tools have amplified the prevalence of these asymmetrical bonds.
The dictionary cited several defining moments of the year, such as the public’s intense engagement with Taylor Swift’s relationship news and the emotionally charged response to Lily Allen’s breakup album, West End Girl, as examples of parasocial behaviour gaining global attention.
AI chatbots also played a significant role, with many users increasingly treating them as companions, sources of affirmation, or even substitutes for human relationships. Simone Schnall, Professor of Experimental Social Psychology at the University of Cambridge, said that parasocial relationships have reshaped fandom, celebrity culture, and online interaction.
Schnall explained that diminishing trust in traditional media has driven people closer to influencers, sometimes fostering intense or unhealthy attachments. Parasocial engagement with well-known celebrities can even lead to obsessive interpretations of creative work and heated online discourse.
The Professor added that young people are particularly vulnerable to forming emotional bonds with conversational AI, which can simulate friendship and empathy.
Alongside announcing ‘parasocial’ as its Word of the Year, Cambridge Dictionary also added or updated several AI-related terms in 2025. These include ‘slop,’ a description for mass-produced, often incoherent AI-generated images and videos flooding social platforms, and ‘memeify,’ which refers to transforming an image into a rapidly spreading internet meme.
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