Humiliation economy
For the pursuit of romance to carry any shame is especially odd in 2025…Instead of just acknowledging that totally commonplace aspiration, though, we romanticize serendipity: People hope that love will fall into their lap so they never need to debase themselves by seeking it…The culture tells us…We should have a partner, but we shouldn’t want one.
Moskowitz blames techno-capitalism’s monetisation of human emotion. Social platforms, they argue, create environments in which users willingly contort themselves into ever more extreme versions of themselves – louder, cringier, more exposed – just to be seen. It’s the natural byproduct of systems that reward emotional spectacle and penalise silence... See more
Humiliation Rituals
the idea of “humiliation rituals” becomes less about grand conspiracies and more about structural inevitabilities. It’s not that anyone is forcing us to humiliate ourselves; it’s that we’ve come to equate being known with being exposed.
Humiliation Rituals
t’s not that anyone is forcing us to humiliate ourselves; it’s that we’ve come to equate being known with being exposed.
Humiliation Rituals
In certain corners of the internet, an idea has been gaining momentum: that social media has turned everyday life into one long, rolling series of self-inflicted embarrassments.
Humiliation Rituals
Some Gen Z men are so scared of getting filmed they’ve stopped dating altogether. Rolling Stone reports a growing “dating paranoia” among young men who fear being filmed, mocked, or posted online. High schoolers describe freezing before sending texts or asking someone out, worried a rejection could become a viral “fail” on Snapchat or TikTok... See more
Casey Lewis • Analog Bags and Bird Theory
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
Is Everything a ‘Humiliation Ritual’?
In this way, every post is a humiliation ritual, and because life essentially requires posting these days, life itself has become a humiliation ritual.
P.E. Moskowitz • Is Everything a ‘Humiliation Ritual’?
The “bird theory” has reemerged on TikTok as a viral relationship litmus test. People — mostly women, fwiw — point out something mundane like a bird to gauge whether their partner engages or ignores them. The trend, which first went viral in 2023 and has recently resurfaced, is just one of many (many!) examples of Gen Z’s fixation with... See more