Overview
- The dictionary’s chief editor says the selection captures 2025’s zeitgeist and marks the term’s shift from academia to the mainstream.
- Parasocial describes one-sided relationships people form with media figures, internet personalities, influencers and artificial intelligence.
- Cambridge University Press & Assessment cites Taylor Swift’s lyrics and her engagement to Travis Kelce as key inspirations for the pick.
- The Cambridge Dictionary website reported notable spikes in searches for the term.
- Scholars trace the concept to 1956 and note its growth has reshaped fan culture and online interactions while remaining inherently one-sided.