Category File
Social Media
3 documented theories filed under this subject.
- Emotional "Farming" via Viral TrendsA theory claiming that absurdist, “brain rot,” or cringe-heavy viral trends are not merely accidental meme culture but deliberate emotional stress tests. In this narrative, platforms use surreal and increasingly uncomfortable content to measure tolerance for confusion, secondhand embarrassment, and social overstimulation, harvesting data on how much emotional distortion audiences can absorb before disengaging.
- Algorithmic GaslightingA theory claiming that social platforms are not only resurfacing memories but quietly altering them—through AI-edited old photos, suggested collages, and manipulated “On This Day” style prompts—to make users doubt or reinterpret their own past. In this framework, memory curation becomes memory rewriting.
- The Selfie (2013) as DNA CaptureThe Selfie (2013) as DNA Capture theory claimed that the explosive rise of selfie culture was not only about narcissism, smartphones, or social media identity, but about training people to provide highly useful biometric and musculature data. In its most specific form, the theory held that exaggerated poses such as duck face helped map the fine facial structures associated with speech and vocal production.