Every year, major online dictionaries choose a representative word. In 2023, it was “polarization”; in 2024, “brain rot”; and this year, “parasocial.” Together, these choices paint a revealing picture of the times. The Royal Spanish Academy (RAE), Oxford, and Cambridge—through their annual selections—have shown a profound transformation in the way we relate, think, and feel in the digital environment.

Polarization, highlighted by the RAE in 2023, reflected a fragmented society in which ideas were aligned in opposing camps. This phenomenon is driven by social media algorithms, which detect trends, amplify them, or bring them to the forefront in often artificial ways, privileging conflict over consensus.

For 2024, Oxford chose another term: “brain rot.” The word refers to cognitive decline attributed to the massive consumption of superficial digital content, and it has reignited the debate over AI (Artificial Intelligence) regulation and quality standards.

In 2025, the Cambridge Dictionary—whose website is visited by millions of people—completes the picture with the term “parasocial,” a concept that describes connections in which someone feels close to someone they don’t know, from movie stars, musicians, and athletes to influencers and artificial intelligence. The illusion of closeness is built on a strictly one-sided relationship, where the recipient—singer, actor, or athlete knows nothing about the interlocutor. It’s just another number in their bulging network of followers.

The term is not new. The word “parasocial” emerged in 1956 to describe how television viewers formed illusory bonds with on-screen personalities. Seven decades later, digital platforms and AI have exponentially multiplied this effect. Today, celebrities and public figures accumulate followers who genuinely believe they “know” them, yet live in a deception that can trigger frustration and greater isolation. But the frontier is advancing: virtual assistants such as Alexa or Siri, and chatbots such as ChatGPT, have become part of everyday life. Their growing sophistication positions them, for some users, as more consistent companions than their human relationships.

Against this backdrop, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith published the document Antiqua et nova in January, on AI and human relationships. While praising the benefits of technological advances, the Church emphasizes that AI should be a tool for human development, never a substitute.

While platforms monetize attention and technology companies promise instant artificial companionship, evidence suggests that human relationships—real, free, and reciprocal—retain a unique value. In a world of parallel connections, where authentic connections coexist with digital substitutes, the choice of “parasocial” as the word of the year serves as a reminder: technology can mediate, but never replace, the bonds that make us fully human.

Source: Vínculo Magazine, no. 397, December 2025.

Translation: Sr. M. Lourdes Macías