A researcher recently found that young adults who receive emotional support on social media are significantly more likely to report reduced anxiety symptoms, with a few specific personality traits reporting the most improved well-being.
Among the study’s findings was that people with high openness to experience, high extraversion, high agreeableness and low conscientiousness reported an increase in perceived social media emotional support. Positive interactions and perceptions may explain why young adults with these specific traits feel more supported and less anxious overall.
This is why we have so much tribalism, polarization and extremism today too though. People find their information bubble, gets validated for the shit they say (i.e. emotional support), feel good about it so they post more and more extreme shit and validate (give emotional support) to others in the bubble.
Now you have an extremist movement. Getting emotional support/validation from strangers on the internet is not always a good thing. Even if it makes you feel less anxious. Some people should feel anxious about the things they think about.
The reason we have so much extremism today is people are more desperate and angry, not that strangers on the internet validating one another.
It can be both. I am certain that there isn’t one explanation for it. What i describe is the feedback loop. What you describe is the initial conditions. Combined they spell disaster.
No, what you describe is being utterly derailed in your understanding of people by the distractions rightwing billionaires dangle infront of us to keep us from having a real conversation about why we are all suffering.
I’m willing to buy into this interpretation, your explanation seems plausible at a minimum.
You beat me to it. You’re spot on