Establishing emotional relationships with celebrities, influencers, artists and even chatbots has been, for the University of Cambridge, the most defining act of this 2025 that is closing; and for that reason, they have chosen parasocial as the Cambridge Dictionary’s word of the year.
Although its use has become popular, especially in the last decade, with the rise of the Internet and social networks, in reality its existence dates back to the beginnings of the popularization of mass media in the 1950s: Donald Horton and Richard Wohl, sociologists at Horton University, used the term to define the relationships of affection and closeness that viewers formed with the presenters or actors of their favorite formats, equating them with those they established with friends or family.
Today, the definition of parasocial It hasn’t changed much, but the contexts in which it is applied are much broader. According to the Cambridge Dictionary, parasocial is “relating to a connection someone feels between themselves and a famous person they don’t know, or a character in a book, film, television, or an artificial intelligence.” Interactions, relationships, connections, and even breakups can be parasocial, having to do with someone we admire or follow, but don’t know personally.
One of the images that illustrates the official page of the University of Cambridge in which the term is explained is a photograph of the singer Taylor Swift and her future husband, the American football player Travis Kelce. “When they announced their engagement, many fans felt a deep connection to them, even if most had never met them.”
Artists and, above all, singers, have learned to exploit these parasocial relationships in a world in which being a fan or follower has a lot to do with them. Both Swift and other singers like Olivia Rodrigo or even the Spanish Aitana or Rosalía share small fragments of their lives in their lyrics, letting fans imagine the reasons that led them to write them.
Even Aitana or Rosalía share small fragments of their lives in their lyrics, letting fans imagine the reasons that led them to write them.
That an author allows small traces of his personal life to permeate his work is not something new; It is, in fact, a trend that we could almost consider as old as art. Nor is curiosity about the private lives of celebrities, which have been reported in the gossip press for decades, new. But there is an increase in speculation around the symbolism and small details, the fragments of reality of artistic fiction.
“I couldn’t explain it, but I feel very protective of her; like she was one of my friends, in a way,” explains Beatriz E., a Taylor Swift fan for more than a decade. “I know it’s not real, but it’s nice to feel that closeness. The most fun part of the release of each album is when we fans analyze the lyrics and look for references…And I think she also feeds it. She puts little clues there for us to discover the story.”
A new way to enjoy art, music and networks
For Professor of Experimental Social Sciences at the University of Cambridge, Simone Schnall, these types of feelings are, as a general rule, healthy if they are managed carefully: “the traditional and healthiest representation of the parasocial comes from people who create parasocial bonds with artists like Taylor Swift because they are exceptionally good at what they do. But this can also lead to obsessive interpretations of lyrics, or very intense discussions on the Internet.”
For the expert, there is a close link between the rise of the parasocial and the progressive loss of trust in traditional media. “When this happens, people turn to individual people who they consider to be authorities. When they spend many hours consuming their content, these parasocial bonds are created that make them treat them as close friends. Therefore, when an influencer has a lot of followers, it is assumed that they are trustworthy.”
When they spend many hours consuming your content, these parasocial bonds are created that make them treat you like close friends. Therefore, when an influencer has many followers, it is assumed that they are trustworthy.
But this also has dangers. The content that is published on networks or platforms such as YouTube or TikTok does not have a prior filter, and that can lead to inaccuracies or popularize false or dangerous speeches.
Still, it is clear that the potential of the parasocial is high. It’s no surprise, then, that artists like Swift take advantage of the emotional potential of parasocial relationships to generate better bonds with their fans. There are other common cases of parasociality: podcast hosts or YouTubers tend to generate that feeling of closeness with their audience because their formats are more informal and casual than, for example, cinema or television. Schnall explains that “the rise of parasocial relationships has redefined fandom—the community of fans of an artist—, celebrities, and how people interact online and even with AI.”
Artificial intelligence in parasocial relationships
The last point, the one related to artificial intelligence, is important; in fact, the University of Cambridge has updated its definition of the phenomenon to include it. Although this type of links between fans and famous people has been around for quite some time, relationships with AI and chatbots, entities controlled with artificial intelligence that perform the speech features of human beings, have been on the rise in the last year.
From confiding intimacies to consulting about insecurities or even establishing romantic relationships, the interaction between humans and AI is complex and constantly evolving. That is why many wonder if it could have negative long-term consequences, especially for the little ones. Even in cases where we are aware that we are not talking to a real person, the fact that it is expressed in a similar way to how a human would generate complicated responses. Pablo F., 24 years old, confesses to us that “I always ask ChatGPT for things please and I thank it. I know it doesn’t matter and that it doesn’t notice or care, because it’s a machine, but I feel bad if I don’t do it.”
Although attitudes like these are harmless, experts do warn about the risks of over-relying on platforms like ChatGPT or even using them as a therapist. As experts point out, “they do not replace affection, friendship or professional psychological care.
