"What we still rather laughably call social media now seem to operate on the basis that the ideal story mixes wildly improbable elements with the kicking-up of moral outrage (witness that ghoulish online content creator Bonnie Blue, who, having claimed to have had sex with 1,057 men in 12 hours, ended the year by announcing her support for Nigel Farage)."
"The basic answer probably touches on a few aspects of the 21st-century experience. One is the horror and conflict that seem to define the news almost every day. Another centres around the material pressures that increasingly grip supposedly peaceful countries: the never-ending cost of living crisis, and the impossibility for millions of people of a secure job, a dependable home and some halfway viable idea of the future."
Living in 2025 is marked by recurring horror and conflict in the news, persistent material pressures, and widespread internet-driven absurdity and anger. Many supposedly peaceful countries face an unrelenting cost-of-living crisis and widespread insecurity in jobs, housing, and future prospects. Social media prioritises improbable stories and moral outrage, amplifying bigotry and rewarding figures who exploit the chaos. The resulting noise deepens feelings of anomie and disorientation, especially among younger generations shaped by the internet and the 2008 financial crash. Young people are often surviving rather than thriving, feeling disconnected and pessimistic about their futures.
#cost-of-living-crisis #internet-culture-and-social-media #youth-mental-health #political-polarization
Read at www.theguardian.com
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