Source: ForeignAffairs4
Source: Radio New Zealand
Cambridge Dictionary has named its word of the year for 2025, alighting on “parasocial”, used to describe a connection that people feel with someone they don’t know – or even with an artificial intelligence.
The term was coined in 1956 by sociologists Donald Horton and Richard Wohl, who wanted to describe how television viewers formed “para-social” relationships with TV personalities, the dictionary said in a statement published Wednesday.
This phenomenon continues today, as social media users form parasocial relationships with celebrities, influencers and online personalities with whom they have no personal connection.
Lily Allen’s latest album sparked a “parasocial interest in her love life”, according to Cambridge Dictionary.
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