#conformity

#conformity

TLDR: The online world amplifies a deep human paradox: we want to fit in and stand out at the same time. Algorithms reward polish, not practice. Visibility, not depth. The antidote is in reclaiming the messy middle where originality is formed, and letting technology be collaborators, not replacements. I keep circling a question that psychology hasn't yet neatly answered: why does the online world make us feel both too different to belong and too ordinary to matter?

Tolstoy's story, and even the title, is clearly unsettling. But it's not a story about death, it's about life. Tolstoy's narrative shines a light on a life lived on borrowed terms. It was a life that was unquestioned, unexamined, and, in the final analysis, unclaimed. Ivan Ilyich was respectable, even successful, but still a hollow man left on his deathbed with little more than the torment of introspection.

"You'd think, wouldn't you, that if you were immensely powerful and rich like Elon Musk and all these other tech bros and members of that podcast community," the former politico told The Guardian, "that you'd reflect on your good fortune compared with most other people?"

The desire to fit in is deeply human, leading individuals to make choices that may not align with their beliefs, especially in social settings involving alcohol.

Conformity bias is a powerful force that shapes our behavior and decision-making. Our tendency to align with group norms often overrides our individual beliefs and values.

Murata's characters often engage in perverse behaviors to appear normal, showcasing the extremes of human effort to conform to societal expectations.

Watching The Breakfast Club and no matter how many times I watch it, I still get mad at this 'makeover'.