‘Parasocial’ Chosen as Cambridge Dictionary’s Word of the Year Amid Rising One-Sided Fan Relationships

The Cambridge Dictionary has announced “parasocial” as its Word of the Year, a term that has surged in global conversations as people increasingly form one-sided emotional bonds with celebrities, influencers, and even AI bots. The choice reflects how digital culture and constant access to public figures have reshaped the way people relate to fame in 2025.

The word describes a relationship in which a person feels deeply connected to someone they do not actually know, often a celebrity whose life they follow closely.

 The term reportedly saw a major spike in searches this year, partly driven by high-profile moments such as the engagement of singer Taylor Swift and NFL star Travis Kelce, which triggered massive emotional reactions from fans worldwide.

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The dictionary noted how Swift’s confessional songwriting about heartbreak, dating, and desire has long inspired parasocial bonds, with listeners feeling personally understood by someone who has never met them.

Psychologists say this phenomenon has grown stronger in the age of social media, where fans receive a steady stream of personal posts, selfies, confessions, and behind-the-scenes glimpses from stars.

Cambridge Dictionary chief editor Colin McIntosh told the BBC  that “parasocial” has shifted from an academic term to mainstream language. “It was originally coined as an academic word and stayed in that world for quite a long time,” he explained. “But social media accelerated its move into everyday speech,” he said, quoted by the BBC.

He added that lexicographers only add new words once they are confident they’re not “a flash in the pan,” and parasocial has now become widely recognised and widely used.

The term itself dates back to 1956, when University of Chicago sociologists Donald Horton and Richard Wohl observed TV viewers forming emotional connections with on-screen personalities — relationships that resembled those they had with real friends and family.

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As television brought familiar faces directly into people’s homes, audiences began feeling as though they “knew” these personalities.

Today, those relationships extend far beyond television. Cambridge’s explanation includes several modern examples:

• Singer Lily Allen’s breakup album, West End Girl, sparked renewed public curiosity about her personal life.

• The rise of parasocial relationships with AI bots, with some users treating them like friends or romantic partners.

• Podcast hosts whose conversational, intimate style makes listeners feel they are part of real friendships.

• A viral incident involving YouTuber IShowSpeed, who blocked an obsessive follower he called his “number 1 parasocial,” caused a major surge in online searches for the term.

Psychologists also say parasocial bonds are not just about being “obsessed.” As researcher Jessica Rundell explained, it is the belief that “this person knows you the way you know them,” even though the relationship exists only in one direction.