This year, the four major dictionaries all coincidentally point to the same phenomenon: we are being quietly transformed by technology and algorithms.

The Cambridge Dictionary's Word of the Year, Parasocial, hits close to home. You think you are familiar with someone and have deep feelings, but in reality, it's all just projection on your part. The other person may not even be aware of your existence.

This is the truth of the screen age. We create countless false senses of intimacy in the virtual world, but essentially, we are still lonely. Algorithms recommend content you like, making you think you're interacting with like-minded people, but in fact, you're just conversing with a carefully crafted illusion.

Even more frightening is that this one-sided relationship is scaling up. Everyone is undergoing the same transformation, yet no one is aware of it.