But the problem these conspiracists are addressing is real: capitalism requires us to debase ourselves on a daily basis, and, in the age of social media, to do so publicly. In our age of techno-capitalism, in which attention on the internet is a currency (both a social currency, and often a monetary one too—people get paid by X and TikTok for going... See more

But as with most conspiracy theories, the “humiliation ritual” notion is compelling because it touches, however misguidedly, on something real—the world is becoming increasingly humiliating and embarrassing. We’re being constantly goaded with little dopamine treats to turn our every thought and visual representation of ourselves into fodder for a... See more

The internet is not a public square—it’s more like a carnival-funhouse mirror maze. The price of admission is our thoughts (in the form of tweets, for example), our visual representations of ourselves (e.g. TikToks and Instagram posts), and our emotional energy (the inordinate amount of time we spend on social media). Our supposed reward at the... See more

Volodymyr Zelenskyy being chewed out by Donald Trump in the Oval Office? It’s not a political spat, it’s a humiliation ritual. An NFL star being filmed wearing short shorts? Humiliation ritual. Actresses showing up scantily clad on red carpets? Humiliation ritual. Doja Cat being a little pitchy at the Oscars? Humiliation ritual. European-style... See more

researchers have found that social media companies purposefully boost content that’s likely to elicit strong emotions like anger and disgust, because those emotions get people to engage the most, further feeding their machine.

In this way, every post is a humiliation ritual, and because life essentially requires posting these days, life itself has become a humiliation ritual.

There is, of course, a life outside of the mirror maze. But we’ve become so accustomed to our life inside of it, that even when we’re not participating in it, we can’t help but see all of life as if it were for public consumption and attention. Things we do in private or semi-private become humiliation rituals because the assumption is that... See more