The Cambridge Dictionary has announced the word of the year: parasocial. Experts warned that the term is associated with a modern phenomenon that can be harmful to health. Parasocial describes a connection people feel with someone they don’t know – or even with an artificial intelligence.
The term, which was used mostly by academics, became very popular among young people, especially fans of American singer Taylor Swift. The singer is even cited by the publication as one of the reasons that explains a spike in searches for the term in August.
Psychology experts at the University of Cambridge are expressing concern about these virtual connections. The alert is even greater when it comes to young people’s relationships with artificial intelligence chats, such as ChatGPT.
