[shaftoe]

While bots are possible, another confounding factor is that the most prolific social media posters are strongly correlated with psychiatric disorders.

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10129173/

Anecdotally, either and both could be true: what "normal" person actually cares very much about the logo of a chain restaurant? Most people care about whether they can afford fun things, who they're sleeping with, and what they're having for dinner.

[JKCalhoun]

> Most people care about whether they can afford fun things, who they're sleeping with, and what they're having for dinner.

Ahhh, I see most of us are swimming around the bottom of Maslow's heirarchy of needs.

[lambdaone]

Yes, that's exactly what the poster above was saying, just not in those words. The idea that we are one and all on a high-minded journey of self-actualisation is hopelessly naive; most people are indeed flailing around at the bottom of the Maslow's pyramid, and that's how we got to where we are today politically.

[laughingcurve]

It’s the base because it’s the most important; not the least “erudite”.

[orwin]

I mean, I kinda? When I'm not working, I mostly think about tabletop rpgs, wingfoil/windsurf, my SO/family, and what I will do for dinner. Pegged me down to the T here.

[Theodores]

That is a fascinating article and definitely something to bear in mind.

To some extent we all have fragile egos. Speaking personally, if I upset someone then I will be devastated for days, even if it was just a misunderstanding rather than me deliberately trying to hurt. Yet in social media world, it is a world of pain, with people getting brutal comments every day, for them still to post the next day and the day after that.

To some extent, negative attention is still attention, and, presumably for some, if you can't get positive attention, any attention will do. Cue 'rage-baiting', where the goal is to incite lots of negative comments.

Anyway, I am of the opinion that in the last century 'the camera never lied' but in today's world, the camera is always lying. On social media everything needs to be considered a lie first until proven otherwise. Add to that, the posters are likely to have psychiatric disorders, and I think I am now outta there!