The Cambridge Dictionary has declared ‘parasocial’ as the word of the year 2025. This move shines a light on the unusual connections people form with celebrities, online personalities, and even artificial intelligence.

The term isn’t brand new. It was first coined by sociologists Donald Horton and Richard Wohl in 1956. Back then, they went on to explain how TV viewers felt personal ‘parasocial’ bonds with actors and hosts they had never met.

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But in 2025, ‘parasocial’ entered everyday life for real. It reflects the way fans today emotionally invest in people and things although they do not know them personally.

Take, for example, Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan. Millions of his fans adore him passionately-even though most have never met him and never will. But they feel

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