Social contagion spreads behaviors and beliefs through networks following mathematical laws, from viral memes to mass panic. Understanding these mechanisms lets us recognize manipulation, harness contagion for good, and navigate information ecosystems designed to exploit our ancient social instincts.
Cancel culture operates through predictable psychological mechanisms—moral outrage, group identity, and anonymity—amplified by platform algorithms. Understanding these forces can help us build more proportional accountability systems.
Cancel culture operates as a psychological game where platforms exploit moral outrage for profit while participants receive dopamine-driven rewards and targets suffer severe mental health consequences. Algorithms amplify emotional content six times faster than neutral posts, creating feedback loops that turn accountability into mob justice. Understanding the neuroscience of outrage, algorithmic manipulation, social identity dynamics, and confirmation bias reveals that cancel culture isn't a s...
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