A closer look
We successfully traded the evolutionary fear of being eaten by tigers for the much sadder fear of being ignored by strangers on the internet. Online communities act as hyper-competitive status arenas where social standing is instantly quantified via likes and retweets. Status anxiety triggers our deepest primal dread of social exclusion, convincing our nervous system that low engagement equals tribal banishment and literal death. It is a brilliant way to permanently tie your self-esteem to an algorithm you do not control.
