‘Parasocial’ crowned Cambridge Dictionary’s word of the year as ‘unhealthy’ relationships with celebrities rise
If you’re wondering why Taylor Swift didn’t respond to your social media post offering congratulations on her engagement, then Cambridge Dictionary has a word for you: parasocial.
Defined as “involving or relating to a connection that someone feels between themselves and a famous person they do not know”, parasocial has been chosen by the dictionary as its word of the year, as people turn to chatbots, influencers and celebrities to feel connection in their online lives.
The term first emerged in 1956 when University of Chicago sociologists observed TV viewers engaging in “para-social” relationships with onscreen personalities, mirroring their bonds with family and friends – except this was a one-way attachment.
Opportunities for asymmetrical relationships have mushroomed in the internet era, with social media and now artificial intelligence taking a niche academic term into the mainstream.
