Fascination with “Parasocial” Bonds Marks 2025 Word of Year
This choice highlights the expanding public curiosity about these one-directional emotional bonds that people develop with celebrities, influencers, and even AI-based chat programs.
Originally introduced by sociologists Donald Horton and Richard Wohl, the concept captured their observations of television audiences forming “parasocial” attachments to on-screen figures, relationships that mirrored the emotional closeness they felt with relatives or companions.
The dictionary illustrated this phenomenon through the high-profile engagement of Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce, noting that countless admirers felt deeply linked to the pair despite having no personal interaction with them.
According to a statement released on Tuesday, “The emergence of parasocial relationships with AI bots saw people treat ChatGPT as a confidant, friend, or even romantic partner,” reflecting how digital tools have intensified the blurring of intimacy and imagination.
The dictionary emphasized that the growing prevalence of such relationships has reshaped ideas of fandom, public personas, and—through artificial intelligence—the ways everyday individuals navigate online communication.
“Millions of people are engaged in parasocial relationships; many more are simply intrigued by their rise. The data reflects that, with the Cambridge Dictionary website seeing spikes in lookups for ‘parasocial,’” the statement added.
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the
information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept
any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images,
videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information
contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright
issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.
Legal Disclaimer:
EIN Presswire provides this news content "as is" without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.
