Mashable

If you're trying to play an episode on Apple Podcasts, you might have an issue today.

Apple's podcasting platform was seemingly disrupted on Tuesday morning due to a large-scale Cloudflare outage that saw major online platforms affected. At 6:48 AM ET, Cloudflare reported it was "investigating an issue which impacts multiple customers" with "widespread 500 errors." At 7:21 a.m. ET, Cloudflare reported "seeing services recover, but customers may continue to observe higher-than-normal error rates as we continue remediation efforts."

According to Apple's system status page, there are no current issues with Apple platforms; however, at the time of writing, Apple Podcasts is unavailable to Mashable staff who tried to access it, as well as users posting on social media.

My current Apple Podcasts screen at the time of writing. Credit: Mashable screenshot This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

Mashable has reached out to Apple for more information.

SEE ALSO: Cloudflare outage cause revealed: This is what happened.

In a statement to Mashable via email, Cloudflare said, "We saw a spike in unusual traffic to one of Cloudflare's services beginning at 11:20 UTC. That caused some traffic passing through Cloudflare's network to experience errors. We do not yet know the cause of the spike in unusual traffic. We are all hands on deck to make sure all traffic is served without errors. After that, we will turn our attention to investigating the cause of the unusual spike in traffic.

"We will post updates to cloudflarestatus.com and more in-depth analysis when it is ready to blog.cloudflare.com."

This is a developing story and will be updated as new details emerge.

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UPDATE: Nov. 18, 2025, 10:21 a.m. EST As of 10:18 a.m. ET, OpenAI reported that its services had been restored. The latest message on its status page reads: "All impacted services have now fully recovered. The detailed Root Cause Analysis (RCA) will be published in the next 5 business days." You can read our original story on the outage below.

Many users who attempted to log in to the ChatGPT website this morning were met with an error message: "Please unblock challenges.cloudflare.com to proceed."

At Downdetector, hundreds of users were similarly reporting problems, starting around 6:30 a.m. ET and then ramping up significantly throughout the morning. (Disclosure: Downdetector is owned by Ziff Davis, the same parent company as Mashable.)

SEE ALSO: Cloudflare outage list: X, OpenAI, Canva, Spotify, more impacted

And at 7:12 a.m. ET, OpenAI confirmed on a status page that it was investigating a problem with some of its websites. A later update on the OpenAI website reads, "We have confirmed that the incident is caused by an issue with one of our third-party service providers. We will provide updates as they become available."

The issue is connected to the ongoing Cloudflare outage. ChatGPT is one of many affected services, which also include X, Grindr, Canva, Spotify, and YouTube. When a major cloud computing platform, such as AWS or Cloudflare, experiences a problem, it can cause ripple effects throughout the World Wide Web.

However, we do have some good news for ChatGPT users. The AI chatbot's iOS app appears to be functioning normally, as of this writing. It's specifically the ChatGPT website that appears to be suffering problems.

It's too soon to say what caused the Cloudflare outage. The latest update from Cloudflare states that the cloud services platform was "working on restoring service for application services customers."

This is a developing story...

Disclosure: Ziff Davis, Mashable’s parent company, in April filed a lawsuit against OpenAI, alleging it infringed Ziff Davis copyrights in training and operating its AI systems.

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Issues with Cloudflare — one of the internet's major infrastructure providers — led to massive outages Tuesday morning as East Coast folks logged on to work. We're now starting to get answers as to why that happened.

Cloudflare emailed a statement to Mashable, suggesting that unusual, heavy traffic to its services was to blame. The company has not yet stated whether the unusual traffic appears to be of a nefarious nature.

Read the statement from Cloudflare:

"We saw a spike in unusual traffic to one of Cloudflare's services beginning at 11:20 UTC. That caused some traffic passing through Cloudflare's network to experience errors. We do not yet know the cause of the spike in unusual traffic. We are all hands on deck to make sure all traffic is served without errors. After that, we will turn our attention to investigating the cause of the unusual spike in traffic. We will post updates to cloudflarestatus.com and more in-depth analysis when it is ready to blog.cloudflare.com."

That spike in unusual traffic, it seems, sparked the massive issues on Tuesday. The list of services experiencing outages was vast, but appeared to include heavy hitters like OpenAI, X, Grindr, and many more. Pretty much anyone with an internet connection would be affected by a Cloudflare outage. User-reported issues on Downdetector continued to spike as we neared 10 a.m. ET, indicating the problems persisted. (Disclosure: Downdetector is owned by Ziff Davis, the same parent company as Mashable.)

"We've deployed a change which has restored dashboard services. We are still working to remediate broad application services impact," read the most recent update on Cloudflare's status page.

Like the recent AWS outage, Cloudflare is one of the major pillars of the internet. When it goes down, the downstream effects are serious and vast — as we're seeing Tuesday.

Bad news for anyone trying to get some action on Grindr today — the app is down due to a widespread Cloudflare outage. The internet service posted on Tuesday morning that it was investigating an issue with its global network.

The top of Grindr's status page states that the team began investigating an issue at 8:52 ET, and confirmed minutes later that it was due to Cloudflare.

SEE ALSO: Cloudflare down: What we know about the outage so far

It gets worse: another gay dating app, Sniffies, is down too, according to Downdetector. (Disclosure: Downdetector is owned by Ziff Davis, which also owns Mashable).

Credit: Screenshot: Downdetector

Fellow gay dating apps SCRUFF and JACK'D also appear to be having errors. Both are run by Amazon Web Services.

If there's one solace to those looking for a hookup, it's that a slew of other websites, including X and Uber, are down as well.

SAVE $30: As of Nov. 18, the Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Select is only $9.99 for select customers with the on-page coupon code STREAM4K at Amazon. That's 75% off its list price and its lowest price ever.

Opens in a new window Credit: Amazon Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Select $9.99 at Amazon
$39.99 Save $30 with on-page coupon code STREAM4K Get Deal

If a streaming stick is on your shopping list, there's no reason to wait for Black Friday to grab one. Amazon is practically giving away its new Fire TV Stick 4K Select.

As of Nov. 18, the Fire TV Stick 4K Select is down to just $9.99 at Amazon for select customers with the on-page coupon code STREAM4K. That's 75% off its list price of $39.99 and its lowest price ever by a landslide. Without the coupon code, it's still a pretty solid deal at $21.99, but $10 for a 4K streaming stick is honestly outrageous.

Unfortunately, the coupon code seems to only be available for select customers. Several members of Mashable's shopping team are able to see the code, while a few others can't. We're unsure how Amazon goes about selecting which customers are eligible, but congrats if you're one of Amazon's favorites.

You can find the coupon code underneath the pricing details at Amazon if you're one of the lucky ones. Credit: Screenshot: Amazon

The Fire TV 4K Select launched this fall as part of Amazon's newest Fire TV lineup. Whether or not we really needed another Fire TV Stick in general is debatable, but at this wildly low early Black Friday price, we're certainly not complaining. Amazon calls it the "most affordable 4K streaming stick yet." It offers vibrant 4K quality with HDR10+ support and a new operating system called Vega that is ultra-responsive and fast. Its plug-and-play design is the same as every other Fire TV Stick, and it will soon offer support for Alexa+, Xbox Game Pass, Amazon Luna, Amazon Kids+, and NordVPN.

SAVE $30: As of Nov. 18, the Lego Icons Fountain Garden is on sale for $69.99 at Amazon. This is 30% off its list price and its lowest price yet.

Opens in a new window Credit: Lego Lego Icons Fountain Garden $69.99 at Amazon
$99.99 Save $30   Get Deal

For those with a love of Lego, Black Friday is a great time to scoop up new sets at a steep discount. Already we've been seeing some exciting deals pop up ahead of the sale event's official kickoff, which is great news for those looking to beat the rush. Amazon is offering a lot of great deals right now, including the Lego Icons Fountain Garden for its lowest-ever price.

As of Nov. 18, the Lego Icons Fountain Garden is on sale for $69.99 at Amazon. This is 30% off its usual price of $99.99, which saves you $30. Considering it's down to its lowest-ever price, now is as good a time as any to pick it up.

SEE ALSO: Best Buy Black Friday ad: The best early deals you can buy online

The detailed Lego Icons Fountain Garden set comes with 1,302 pieces that create a little garden display that's filled with nice details, including a tiered fountain, lavabo, two cypress trees, flowering grape vines, four pergolas, tiled pathways, a luna moth, a bird, and frog figures. There's even slots in the base of the garden that allow you to create different configurations. Customization is always a nice plus.

Mashable Deals Be the first to know! Get editor selected deals texted right to your phone! Get editor selected deals texted right to your phone! Loading... Sign Me Up By signing up, you agree to receive recurring automated SMS marketing messages from Mashable Deals at the number provided. Msg and data rates may apply. Up to 4 msgs/mo. Reply STOP to opt out, HELP for help. Consent is not a condition of purchase. See our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. Thanks for signing up!

Now is your chance to grab the Lego Icons Fountain Garden set at its lowest-ever price at Amazon. For even more great Lego deals available right now, check out our roundup of the 57 best early Black Friday deals to see what else has crossed our radar ahead of Black Friday.

If you've been trying to check X to understand why large chunks of the internet are down, turns out it's impacted too.

The platform formerly known as Twitter was disrupted on Tuesday morning due to a large-scale Cloudflare outage. At 6:48 AM ET, Cloudflare reported it was "investigating an issue which impacts multiple customers" with "widespread 500 errors."

One of these platforms is X, with users reporting issues with the social media site at the same time as the Cloudflare outage, according to Downdetector. (Disclosure: Downdetector is owned by Ziff Davis, the same parent company as Mashable.)

SEE ALSO: Cloudflare down: What we know about the outage so far

At 7:21 AM ET, Cloudflare reported, "We are seeing services recover, but customers may continue to observe higher-than-normal error rates as we continue remediation efforts."

This is a developing story and will be updated as new details emerge.

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Another day, another huge internet outage, impacting sites across the internet.

At 11:48 UTC on Nov. 18, Cloudflare confirmed its global network is experiencing issues impacting "multiple customers." No you're not experiencing déjà vu. This is not Cloudflare's first rodeo. Huge swathes of the internet went down in June 2025 due to Cloudflare disruption, resulting in problems for Twitch, Etsy, Discord, and Google. Familiarity with these kinds of events doesn't make them any less irritating.

Credit: Downdetector

The situation is still developing, so we've catalogued sites and services for which users have reported difficulties via Downdetector during this latest Cloudflare outage.

Sites impacted by Cloudflare outage

According to Downdetector, here's a list of the sites seemingly affected by the Cloudflare outage (Disclosure: Downdetector is owned by Ziff Davis, which also owns Mashable):

• Archive of Our Own

• Canva

• Depop

• Downdetector

• Grindr

• League of Legends

• Open AI

• Spotify

• X (Twitter)

This is a developing story. More details will be provided as they become available.

The internet appears to be breaking again.

On Tuesday morning, at 11:48 UTC, Cloudflare confirmed its global network is experiencing issues impacting "multiple customers."

SEE ALSO: Cloudflare launches way to charge AI bots for crawling sites

Here's the full statement published on the site's status page.

Cloudflare Global Network experiencing issues

Investigating - Cloudflare is aware of, and investigating an issue which potentially impacts multiple customers. Further detail will be provided as more information becomes available.

Nov 18, 2025 - 11:48 UTC

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

Cloudflare is a service that "powers Internet requests for millions of websites and serves 78 million HTTP requests per second on average," according to its site. In short, when Cloudflare has problems, the internet has problems. Users on X are already reporting issues, and Down Detector — the site that's normally a go-to for checking what's broken and what's not — appears to be having issues itself. (Disclosure: Ziff Davis owns both Mashable and Down Detector.)

Credit: Downdetector

It's worth noting this isn't the first time Cloudflare has experienced major issues. Large portions of the internet went down back in June due to Cloudflare disruption, causing problems for users of Twitch, Etsy, Discord, and Google.

This is a developing story and will be updated as new details emerge.

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The gaming platform Roblox will begin using age estimation technology for users who want to chat, according to the company's announcement Tuesday. 

The measure, which rolls out in phases through January, is Roblox's latest step toward improving safety features for young users. The platform has more than 151 million daily average users, one-third of whom are younger than 13. 

Roblox says the new policy positions the company as the first online gaming and communications platform to make chat accessible following a facial age check, calling the move "a new industry benchmark for safety." 

SEE ALSO: Roblox: A parent's guide to keeping your kids safe

Like many digital platforms, Roblox has been under increasing pressure from child safety advocates and the parents of alleged victims to better protect minors from child predation, among other harms. The Dolman Law Group has filed 30 complaints against the company for allegedly exposing minors to sexual exploitation and abuse. Other lawsuits against Roblox, including one filed recently by the Texas state attorney general, make similar claims. 

Predators have identified minors on Roblox and cultivated relationships with them via chat and messaging, sometimes encouraging them to leave the platform for other communications apps, like Discord. 

Starting Tuesday, Roblox age estimation will be voluntary. It will become mandatory globally in January 2026. However, the platform will initially require it in Australia, New Zealand, and The Netherlands beginning in December. 

Age estimation takes place on the Roblox app, but is completed by the company Persona. The technology uses video and still imagery to estimate a user's age. Roblox says those images will be deleted immediately after processing, and will not be stored. 

Roblox hopes the approach will protect user privacy. A recent security breach of a Discord vendor may have compromised the government IDs of about 70,000 users, raising fresh questions about how to verify age while still protecting user data and personal information. 

Roblox must also account for bad actors who try to use fake photos or pictures of another person to evade accurate age estimation. Kaufman said that the combination of video and still imaging helps prevent that. Additionally, the company will deploy fraud checks.  

Roblox players will be grouped into age categories with limits on who can speak to each other. Credit: Roblox These two Roblox users could not chat with each other because of age differences. Credit: Roblox

Once a user's age is estimated, Roblox will assign them to one of six age groups: under 9; 9 to 12 years old; 13 to 15 years old; 16 to 17 years old; 18 to 20 years old; and 21 and over. Users can then chat with members in their same age group or a similar range. While a 12 year old could chat with a user that's 9, for example, they will not be able to communicate with users in the 18- to 20-year-old group. If a user wants to appeal their grouping, they can submit ID verification. 

Matt Kaufman, chief safety officer for Roblox, said in a press briefing that the age estimation technology is "very accurate." Third-party testing of Persona found it has a mean absolute error rate of 1.37 years. 

Roblox recently started requiring age estimation for users who want to take advantage of a new feature called "Trusted Connections." The feature allows teens between the ages of 13 and 17 to communicate via voice and chat without filters. Roblox continues to monitor all conversations for "critical harm," such as grooming.

"Proactive tools like age estimation are key to building a safer and more positive digital world for kids and teens," Stephen Balkam, CEO of the Family Online Safety Institute, said in a statement about Roblox's age estimation efforts. 

On Tuesday morning, the nonprofit advocacy group ParentsTogether Action planned to hold a virtual protest on the platform, at a custom-designed Roblox headquarters, where participants in the form of non-playable characters will carry signs. Protesters will deliver a digital petition with over 12,000 signatures calling on Roblox to implement more safety features, like defaulting all children under 18 to maximum privacy settings. 

The petition implores the company to fundamentally change its approach to child safety, declaring: "Roblox must stop being a playground for predators." 

SAVE $300: As of Nov. 18, the De'Longhi Magnifica Start Espresso Machine is on sale for $499.95 at Amazon. This is 38% off its list price of $799.95 and a return to its lowest-ever price.

Opens in a new window Credit: De'Longhi De'Longhi Magnifica Start Automatic Espresso Machine $499.95 at Amazon
$799.95 Save $300.00   Get Deal

With winter weather rolling in, a coffee or espresso machine can be a nice way to upgrade that all-important first drink of the day. If you've been on the hunt for your first machine, or you're just looking for an upgrade, early Black Friday deals have dropped with a lot for coffee lovers to consider. Over at Amazon, you can even score the De'Longhi Magnifica Start Espresso Machine back at its best price of $499.95.

This is 38% off the De'Longhi Magnifica Start's usual price of $799.95, which allows you to save $300. That's a pretty sweet deal ahead of the holidays, especially since it's its lowest-ever price, so why wait to grab it? If it has caught your eye, there's no better time than now to add it to your cart.

SEE ALSO: Target Black Friday ad: The best early deals you can buy online

The De'Longhi Magnifica Start offers five one-touch recipes, including espresso, cappuccino, latte macchiato, coffee, and hot water if you're craving something like a tea, so you can start your mornings off on the right foot with your favorite drink. The intensity of each can even be adjusted so you can find your preferred taste. On top of that, it also features 13 grind settings for preparing a variety of beans.

Mashable Deals Be the first to know! Get editor selected deals texted right to your phone! Get editor selected deals texted right to your phone! Loading... Sign Me Up By signing up, you agree to receive recurring automated SMS marketing messages from Mashable Deals at the number provided. Msg and data rates may apply. Up to 4 msgs/mo. Reply STOP to opt out, HELP for help. Consent is not a condition of purchase. See our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. Thanks for signing up!

For coffee lovers, this deal on the De'Longhi Magnifica Start Espresso Machine is one you definitely don't want to miss. There's plenty of early Black Friday deals to explore alongside this one, too. Have a look through our breakdown of the 57 best early Black Friday deals to see what else has caught our eye.

The Epstein files could be on the cusp of being released, with Donald Trump himself appearing to completely reverse his position and encouraging Republicans to vote for the release in a post on Truth Social. And on Monday night, Jimmy Kimmel reacted tp the pivot.

"At least 50 Republicans are expected to break ranks, which has forced Trump to now claim he's for the files being released, after almost a year of saying he didn't want them released," says Kimmel in the clip above. "After a year of stalling, hedging, browbeating members of his own party, last night, all of a sudden, Trump reversed course completely. He wrote, 'As I said on Friday night [...] to the Fake News Media, House Republicans should vote to release the Epstein files, because we have nothing to hide.'

"'We have nothing to hide.' I have some bad news, there's no 'We'. It's just you bro."

Elsewhere, Jon Stewart was similarly unimpressed with Trump's attempt to deflect the issue onto the Democrats.

SAVE $300: As of Nov. 18, the Samsung 37-inch 4K Odyssey G7 curved monitor is on sale for $599.99 at Amazon. This is $300 off its list price of $899.99 and its lowest-ever price.

Opens in a new window Credit: Samsung Samsung 37-Inch Odyssey G7 Curved Gaming Monitor $599.99 at Amazon
$899.99 Save $300   Get Deal

If you've been waiting for a good time to stock up on new tech without spending tons of cash, Black Friday is a great time to do it. With so many early deals already available, there's plenty for shoppers to consider, especially at Amazon. If a PC upgrade has been on your to-do list ahead of the holidays, the retailer is offering an excellent deal on the Samsung 37-inch 4K Odyssey G7 curved monitor.

The Samsung 37-inch 4K Odyssey G7 curved monitor normally comes with a hefty price tag of $899.99, but as of Nov. 18, it has dropped to its lowest-ever price of $599.99. This deal saves you $300 on list price.

SEE ALSO: Target Black Friday ad: The best deals you can buy online early

This monitor offers 4K UHD resolution, which brings out all of the little colors and details in your favorite games. This Samsung monitor also boasts a 165Hz refresh rate and 1ms response time that reduces lag so your games run smoothly, and on top of that, its 37-inch 1000R curved display can help you feel even more immersed in whatever you're playing.

Mashable Deals Be the first to know! Get editor selected deals texted right to your phone! Get editor selected deals texted right to your phone! Loading... Sign Me Up By signing up, you agree to receive recurring automated SMS marketing messages from Mashable Deals at the number provided. Msg and data rates may apply. Up to 4 msgs/mo. Reply STOP to opt out, HELP for help. Consent is not a condition of purchase. See our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. Thanks for signing up!

Why wait for Black Friday? Now is your chance to score the Samsung 37-inch 4K Odyssey G7 curved monitor for its lowest price yet at Amazon. For even more great deals you can jump on before Black Friday, check out our breakdown of the Amazon Black Friday ad to see what else is available right now.

TL;DR: As of Nov. 18, the Phantasmal Flames Elite Trainer Box is $121.01 at Amazon, which is $27 higher than TCGplayer's market value. But if you get approved for an Amazon Visa card, you can use the instant $60 voucher to bring the price down to $61.01.

Opens in a new window Credit: The Pokémon Company Phantasmal Flames Booster Box $121 at Amazon
  Get Deal

The first expansion for Pokémon TCG: Mega Evolution, Phantasmal Flames, is finally out in the wild. We're used to seeing ridiculously inflated prices on the majority of sealed Pokémon TCG product, but Amazon is at least matching market value with Phantasmal Flames right now.

The Phantasmal Flames Elite Trainer Box is at market value right now on Amazon compared to TCGplayer, going for $121. You can also knock $60 off the price if you get accepted for an Amazon Visa card. There's no need to actually use it, just make sure you use that instant $60 gift card to bring the ETB price down to $61.

SEE ALSO: Where to buy Pokémon cards in 2025 — avoid overpaying or missing out on new sets

Want to save even more on Amazon? If you have an AMEX or Discover card, register it to your account and pay $1 on your order to unlock up to 50% off. This discount switches in and out, so it may or may not be available right now. But if it works, that knocks the Phantasmal Flames ETB down to almost $30.

Most valuable Mega Evolution Pokémon cards Credit: Mashable Photo Composite / The Pokémon Company

You can just grab the chase cards you need from Phantasmal Flames instead, which will likely save you money in the long run. Here's what they're all going for right now, including links to buy them at TCGplayer.

1. Mega Charizard X ex - 125/094
   Near Mint Holofoil: $735
   Market price: $774.45
   Most recent sale: $749.99

2. Mega Charizard X ex - 130/094
   Near Mint Holofoil: $588.69
   Market price: $615.69
   Most recent sale: $649.95

3. Mega Charizard X ex - 109/094
   Near Mint Holofoil: $52.93
   Market price: $56.37
   Most recent sale: $67.69

4. Mega Lopunny ex - 128/094
   Near Mint Holofoil: $42.99
   Market price: $44.22
   Most recent sale: $40.94

5. Mega Sharpedo ex - 127/094
   Near Mint Holofoil: $40.19
   Market price: $43.97
   Most recent sale: $44.39

The Mini is a bite-sized version of The New York Times' revered daily crossword. While the crossword is a lengthier experience that requires both knowledge and patience to complete, The Mini is an entirely different vibe.

With only a handful of clues to answer, the daily puzzle doubles as a speed-running test for many who play it.

So, when a tricky clue disrupts a player's flow, it can be frustrating! If you find yourself stumped playing The Mini — much like with Wordle and Connections — we have you covered.

SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable SEE ALSO: How to play Pips, the newest NYT game

Here are the clues and answers to NYT's The Mini for Tuesday, Nov. 18, 2025:

AcrossCoarse, woolen fabric often used to make jackets

• The answer is Tweed.

Alternative rock band with the album "Yankee Hotel Foxtrot"

• The answer is Wilco.

Perfect

• The answer is Ideal.

Americana or country

• The answer is Genre.

"Wicked cool, man!"

• The answer is Rad.

DownTiny bit of kindling

• The answer is Twig.

More extensive

• The answer is Wider.

Kagan on the Supreme Court

• The answer is Elena.

Birthday greeting that doesn't require an envelope

• The answer is Ecard.

Fruit company that once owned the entire island of Lanai

• The answer is Dole.

If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

Are you also playing NYT Strands? See hints and answers for today's Strands.

Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to yesterday's Mini Crossword.

People have had a fascination with famous people for eons — and in the age of the internet, it's only increased. Influencers, often online content creators, have made both the definition of "celebrity" and our relationships with them fuzzy. 

While it may seem like influencers are followers' friends due to how they interact with them online, this more than likely isn't the case. Instead, these relationships are parasocial — one-sided. But what are parasocial relationships exactly, and are they healthy?

SEE ALSO: Inside the new wedding trend: brides getting advice from ChatGPT What is a parasocial relationship?

Parasocial relationships are one-sided relationships, typically with an everyday individual and a celebrity or fictional character, said assistant professor of communication studies at Colorado State University, Natalie Pennington. 

According to chief strategy officer at media tech company IMGN Media Noah Mallin, parasocial relationships are an assumed intimacy audience members feel even though they don't have an actual relationship with that person.

These relationships existed long before the internet — thousands of years ago. Researchers say ancient people had parasocial relationships with pharaohs and deities, for example. 

In the 20th century, early research on parasocial relationships dissected those of people and soap opera characters and other fictional TV characters. "People would watch TV shows and become really invested in, and feel like they had a relationship with…some of the leads on the shows," said Pennington. "So even though they may never meet, they were like, 'This person is my friend. I know them.'"

"Even though they may never meet, they were like, 'This person is my friend. I know them.'"

As media and technology has evolved, so have parasocial relationships. With the rise of the internet and social media in the past few decades, celebrities have disclosed more information about themselves online, allowing fans more insight. This previously-impossible-to-know knowledge has made these relationships seem real, as fans are learning more about the celebrity. It's still one-sided, however, as the celebrity may have no idea who the fan is. 

Examples of parasocial relationships

In a study on fan-celebrity interaction on Twitter Pennington published in 2016 with professor Jeffrey A. Hall and researcher Alex Hutchinson, the authors discussed the "illusion of closeness" social media interaction gives to fans when it comes to celebrity interaction. A celebrity "like" or retweet can not only boost one's own social status, but it's a perceived level of intimacy with the celeb.

SEE ALSO: 10 free dating apps to try for cuffing season 2025

Even the definition of "celebrity" is fuzzy these days due to the rise of social media and particularly influencers, who've blurred the parasocial lines even more because of increased interaction and the perception that an influencer is just a "normal person" like yourself. 

Because of engagement, social media blurs the line of parasocial relationships. Since that study, it's only increased — especially with TikTok, Pennington noted. Referring to the stitch feature of combining videos, she said, "TikTok with stitching, for example…it blurs the line on parasocial because someone may actually respond to you and then you can feel even more connected."

The rise of YouTube vlogging had a hand in modern parasocial relationships, said Mallin. Vloggers speak directly to camera (something not often done in previous forms of media) about specific personal issues they're dealing with, as if they're speaking to a friend. Now it's typical for an influencer to look directly at you during a video. There's a perceived level of authenticity there, even if a lot of work went into a video behind the scenes. 

Not only are influencers looking at you, but they're also interacting — sometimes in real time. "It feels like you've got more ability to access and interact," said Mallin. "A good creator will read the comments, and comment back."

Commenting back and forth can feel like you're having a conversation with an influencer (even if it's their team and not them responding). This helps foster the sense of "this is a real person," said Mallin, "but that can also foster the sense of, 'not only is this a real person, but we actually have a relationship with each other,'" even though you don't. 

"Again, [this is] still not a two sided relationship in most cases," Pennington said. "But because there's that extra level of interaction or potential for [interaction], it can strengthen that tie for someone."

How do parasocial relationships form and end?

Parasocial relationships are born out of parasocial interaction, or PSI. PSI is the process of engaging with a celebrity or influencer. You watch their content, perhaps even reach out to them. It's likely you relate to them in some way; maybe their identity aligns with yours, or maybe you share similar attitudes. 

Just as possible as it is for parasocial relationships to form, it's also possible for them to end. The most morbid of cases is when the public figure dies, but that's not the only way. 

One way is, as Mallin said, "the bubble has burst." This is especially the case of influencers when they reach a certain level of notoriety where they don't "feel real" anymore. Perhaps their follow count is in the millions, and they've entered the mainstream. "Once you get the sense that they're not really talking to just you anymore…it can start to feel like less of a relationship," said Mallin.

This can also be the case if an influencer starts doing too many sponsorships that feel misaligned with who they are (or, at least, who the fan believe them to be). "It starts to feel less authentic," said Mallin.

Or, maybe the influencer started in one niche that resonated with you and then they evolved and moved on. In that way, the end of a parasocial relationship can feel like a friendship that drifted apart. 

This doesn't happen with all fans, but parasocial relationships can fizzle when the illusion of intimacy is somehow broken. 

Are parasocial relationships healthy?

The simple answer is yes — but like most things, it's best in moderation. 

In the United States, people are pretty lonely, and the pandemic worsened the "loneliness epidemic." People have fewer close friends now than they did decades ago. At the same time, Pennington said, there's an innate human need to belong and thus a need for connection, and when we don't have that we'll seek it out. Humans evolved these needs over millions of years, because we needed to be part of groups in order to survive. While this isn't necessarily the case anymore, we're still social creatures who thrive with others.

So, it makes sense that people seek connection online and through celebrities and influencers. As long as they're not the only relationships in your life, parasocial relationships can be totally fine. You may get a "boost" of good-connection feelings — a hit of the feel-good chemical dopamine — when you engage with your favorite online personality, and that's a positive.

But if that's the only way you're connecting — or if you think your parasocial relationship is actually two-sided — that's when they can get problematic.

"We need people in our life that we actively talk to," Pennington said, "to help our wellbeing, whether that be loneliness, self esteem, belonging, connection, all that stuff."

Pennington continued, "There's nothing wrong with enjoying the content of a creator in any capacity and appreciating the work they do with the in-the-moment joy that that brings you." It's not a good idea to set expectations with the celebrity, however. "It's okay to reach out to tweet at and say 'hi,' but not anticipate or expect a response," Pennington said. 

Further, Mallin said, parasocial relationships can cross the line into being toxic, especially if the influencer/celebrity is of a marginalized identity. "Parasocial relationships can feel fairly benign," he said, "but for some groups that sometimes can be a little bit more sinister." 

During the worst of the pandemic, for example, influencers spoke out about increased harassment. Abuse can escalate from online to offline, such as Twitch "fans" stalking streamers. In these ways, the blurred line of interaction can be detrimental. 

When interacting with an influencer/celebrity, it's important to remember the relationship is indeed one-sided. It's okay to love a famous person — but keep your emotional and physical distance.

This article was first published in 2022 and republished in 2025.

The recently published emails from Jeffrey Epstein reportedly contain more than a few mentions of Donald Trump's name, prompting the U.S. president to pivot into defensive mode at a recent press conference — giving what Jon Stewart describes in the Daily Show clip above as "nonsensical answers" in which he tried to direct blame at Democrats.

"First of all, are you OK? Second of all, we've tried to look at those people, but every time we do, your picture comes up. But f*ck yeah, investigate everyone who had a relationship with Epstein, which includes, if we're being honest, you, Mr President," says Stewart. "And while you're out there, see if you can find the Democrat who cut a sweetheart prison deal for Ghislaine Maxwell after she told your lawyer she never saw you do anything wrong."

Stewart goes on to talk about the Republican reaction to the emails, and how it compares to the right's reaction to the old #Pizzagate conspiracy.

"With these Podesta emails, they were the enigma machine, decoding everything" says Stewart. "But these Epstein emails now are a New York Times crossword puzzle from a Monday. You can figure this shit out in ink."

TL;DR: The latest Stuff Your Kindle Day takes place on Nov. 18-22. The Closed-Door Book Blast, hosted by the Indie Author Collective, offers free or heavily discounted closed-door romance books for your e-reader.

We know that the focus right now is very much on Black Friday. We're busy scanning the online world for the best deals on Apple, TVs, Lego, and just about everything else, but we can't ignore the prospect of free or heavily discounted ebooks. The latest Stuff Your Kindle Day is live. It has absolutely nothing to do with Black Friday, and that's OK.

The Closed-Door Book Blast, hosted by the Indie Author Collective, takes place from Nov. 18-22. During this special event, participants can score free or heavily discounted closed-door romance books. Everything that you download is yours to keep forever, so if romance is your thing, this is a unique opportunity to stock up ahead of the winter months. You're not going to be leaving the house anyway. Stay in and read. You know you want to.

SEE ALSO: Amazon Kindle vs. Kindle Paperwhite: Which one is for you?

Want to make the most of the latest Stuff Your Kindle Day? We've lined up everything you need to know about this popular event.

When is Stuff Your Kindle Day?

The Closed-Door Book Blast takes place from Nov. 18-22. A lot of Stuff Your Kindle Day events take place over 24 hours, but this event runs for five whole days. That gives you the chance to take your time and properly peruse everything that's on offer.

Who can take part in Stuff Your Kindle Day?

The wonderful thing about Stuff Your Kindle Day is that anyone can participate. Kindle, Kobo, and Nook readers can download these books for free. You can even download these books on your preferred app and read them directly from your phone.

Which e-books are free?

The Closed-Door Book Blast has a helpful hub page with everything included in this giveaway. All of the listed titles are free, $0.99, or available on Kindle Unlimited/Kobo Plus or through the author's website. You can find filters for genre, content level, major tropes, spice level, and other useful categories.

The Indie Author Collective have also included information on content levels and spice levels, so you know exactly what you're getting into before you start reading. No nasty surprises.

Is Stuff Your Kindle Day the same as Amazon Kindle Unlimited?

Everything you download on Stuff Your Kindle Day is yours to keep forever, and there's no limit on the number of books you can download. Stuff Your Kindle Day downloads don't count towards the 20 books that Amazon Kindle Unlimited subscribers can borrow at the same time. There's no reason to hold back.

The best Stuff Your Kindle Day deal Opens in a new window Credit: Amazon Kindle Paperwhite + Kindle Unlimited (3-Month Plan)   Shop Now Why we like it

These popular e-readers help you take your entire library on the go. With weeks of battery life and an anti-glare display, you can read anywhere and anytime with the Kindle Paperwhite. Prices start at $159.99, but you can get three months of Kindle Unlimited for free with your purchase. We're all waiting for Black Friday Kindle deals to drop. We're tracking the best offers right here.

We're a few episodes into Pluribus, Vince Gilligan's trippy new Apple TV sci-fi series, and I have questions: Where have all the animals gone? And are they Joined too?

As Carol (Rhea Seehorn) understandably drinks her way through the sudden creepy hellscape that is an almost entirely hive-minded human race, she's not bothered by a pesky mosquito, comforted by a stray dog, or able to ride a horse into the sunset.

SEE ALSO: 'Pluribus' episode 3: Can you actually stay at that ice hotel?

The total number of species on Earth is estimated at 8.7 million (including plants), yet in Pluribus, there's not a golden lion tamarin, Irish wolfhound, or Egyptian tortoise to be seen. What's going on here?

Are animals affected by the Joining?

Considering that the "virus"-like "psychic glue" connecting humanity began with alien technology being decoded, tested on animals, and transferred to humans with a lab rat bite in episode 1, it remains to be seen how the animal kingdom is dealing with what's known as "the Joining." If, as was explained in episode 1, "We is us," does that include all creatures, great and small, on Earth?

We still don't know who developed the sequence, or whether all animals have been affected by the virus dusting we saw in episode 1, which turned most of the remaining humans, but the rat does appear to experience the same type of temporary paralysis Joined humans do when Carol upsets them. On the other hand, in episodes 1, 2, and 3, we don't see any animals joining the ranks of mind-connected humans teaming up to do the same task, and not one of Carol's neighbours has a pet aimlessly hanging around looking for food.

However, we do learn a few things in episode 2 about what happened to some animals after the Joining.

Joined humans let all animals out of zoos.

In Carol's non-Joined human summit aboard Air Force One, Koumba Diabaté (Samba Schutte) mentions that "all zoos are empty." Xiu Mei (Sharon Gee), who lives near Beijing Zoo, says that the Joined humans were the ones to empty the zoos. "They let loose all the animals," she says, explaining that she tried to shoo a giraffe from eating a tree outside her place, but it paid her no mind. "Apparently, when it came to the lions and the tigers, they suffered quite a few maulings," Koumba adds.

My question is, where did they all go? Are they all back in their natural habitats, devouring each other and restoring the circle of life or what?

As for pets, I see not one dog or cat or hamster in Pluribus. In the episode 2 summit, Mei defiantly says she did not "give away" her dog, without explaining further, but Koumba says, "All dogs are off their chains." Is there some kind of dog paradise where our four-legged friends are making a sweet, sweet home for themselves and allowed to go for walkies whenever they damn well like? Are dogs more individual than humans at this point? Could dogs walk us?

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Joined humans "can't purposely end life," and they're all vego.

Then there's the whole vegetarianism of the Joining. In episode 2, in the opulent long lunch in what looks like Tuscany, it's clear that animals killed before the Joining are being preserved (or cooked for non-Joined humans) — Koumba is served chicken, Carol is given salmon. Later in the episode, Carol is offered bacon and eggs. In episode 3, when Carol's local supermarket is entirely restocked in a matter of minutes by Joined humans, that includes the meat sections.

But in episode 2's lunch, we learn that Joined humans do not kill animals — when Koumba says he asked for lobster, Zosia (Karolina Wydra) explains, "We searched a wide radius, but the only lobster currently available is live." When asked by fellow non-Joined human Lakshmi (Menik Gooneratne) whether the Joined are vegetarian, Zosia responds, "That would be our preference, yes," and further explains killing insects is also off the table. "We can't purposely end life. It's not in our nature," she says.

Is this because animals share the same "psychic glue" as humans? Or is there something more afoot here?

Koumba further inquires what would happen if he caught a fish or killed a chicken, and Zosia tells him, "We would mourn the passing of all these creatures," but also would cook them for him if asked.

There are some on Reddit posing theories about the state of animals in Pluribus, including one theory that the giraffe didn't listen to Mei because it's not part of the Joining. This theory goes for the lions and tigers too, as Koumba mentioned human maulings — this suggests these animals at least aren't part of the harmonious hive mind. Hopefully Gilligan sheds some light on the state of our free-roaming animals in episodes ahead.

Pluribus is now streaming on Apple TV, with a new episode every Friday.

Mashable staff and contributors have tested nearly a dozen popular Chromebooks over the course of the past two years, and as of late 2025, there are five I recommend in particular. My top pick for most people is the Lenovo 5i Flex Chromebook Plus, a mid-range convertible with excellent build quality, upper-level performance, and an all-day battery life. It's priced at $599.99 in two configurations, and one is usually on sale for well under $400.

My complete guide to the best Chromebooks includes other picks for budget shoppers, splurgers, kids, and casual gamers, so keep scrolling. (And if you aren't sure whether a Chromebook is right for you, check out my explainer on how they're different from regular Windows laptops and MacBooks.)