Word of the Day: PARASOCIAL
Uniquely one-sided in a relationship
parasocial (adj) - of or pertaining to a one-sided or unreciprocated relationship, usually with famous or fictional individuals [par-uh-soh-shuhl]
BREAKDOWN: PARA- (alongside) + SOC- (companion) + -IAL (pertaining to)
Words based on the root SOC- meaning companion or ally are quite common in the English language. While you almost certainly know what social means, the word parasocial is a relatively modern term, first coined by researchers Donald Horton & R. Richard Wohl in their influential 1956 paper, Mass Communication and Para-Social Interaction: Observations on Intimacy at a Distance.
“One of the striking characteristics of the new mass media—radio, television, and the movies—is that they give the illusion of face-to-face relationship with the performer... We propose to call this seeming face-to-face relationship between spectator and performer a para-social relationship.” —D. Horton & R. R. Wohl
[Our Wednesday Wildcards are fascinating and important words that are not necessarily derived from classical roots.]