socialism

n. A political ideology where everybody is equal.

Free healthcare is socialism, and I want it!

by letsgong February 3, 2025

Social Power Theory

A framework ranking the fundamental forces that drive human societies, where Money is the base, tangible power (controlling resources), the Individual (genius, leader, or icon) is the catalytic power that redirects history, and the Nation-State is the supreme, organized power that monopolizes violence and ideology. Jiang argues these layers constantly interact: great individuals (like Steve Jobs or Napoleon) harness money to create change, but ultimately get co-opted or crushed by the state apparatus, which is the only entity that can legally print money, wage war, and define truth. It's a cheat sheet for who really calls the shots.

Example: "Social Power Theory explains Elon Musk: he has Money power (Tesla wealth) and Individual power (cult following), but if he clashes with Nation-State power (the U.S. government over satellites or China over factory rules), the state will win every time. The house always wins."

by Abzugal January 24, 2026

Social Control Theory

The study of how elites (states, corporations, institutions) keep the masses in line using a trio of levers: Money (economic incentives/debt), Ideology (narratives like patriotism or wokeness), and Fear (of chaos, violence, or ostracism). Jiang posits that stable societies master all three: pay people enough to be comfortable, convince them the system is just, and scare them with what happens if it falls. The theory examines which lever is pulled during crises—print more money, ramp up propaganda, or unleash the police.

Example: "During the pandemic, Social Control Theory was on full display: Money (stimulus checks), Ideology ('we're all in this together'), and Fear (of disease and social shaming). When one lever failed, they doubled down on the other two."

by Abzugal January 24, 2026

Social Media Trauma

Psychological injury resulting from direct, cumulative, or vicarious exposure to harmful experiences on social media platforms. This includes targeted harassment campaigns (dogpiling), doxxing, revenge porn, cyberstalking, extreme public shaming, and witnessing graphic violence or hate speech. Unlike general internet stress, it's tied to the specific architectures of social platforms: viral amplification, permanence of content, network effects linking different life spheres (work, family, friends), and algorithmically-fueled harassment. The trauma stems from the feeling of being hunted, exposed, and powerless in a space that feels ubiquitously connected to one's social identity.

Example: A teenage artist posts a mildly political drawing. It gets picked up by a hate group whose members flood her notifications with rape threats, photoshop her face onto obscene images, find her school, and call her principal accusing her of crimes. She deletes her accounts but knows the images are still out there. She develops panic attacks at phone notifications, isolates from friends, and feels perpetually unsafe. This is acute social media trauma—the platform's features turned a single post into a life-altering assault.

by Dumuabzu January 25, 2026

Social Media Trauma Syndrome

The chronic, symptom-based profile resulting from unresolved Social Media Trauma or prolonged exposure to a toxic social media environment. Symptoms mirror Complex PTSD and include: hypervigilance toward notifications, identity fragmentation (curating multiple "safe" personas), somatic symptoms (eye twitching, headaches from screen stress), paranoia about being recorded or discussed, and a disrupted sense of reality from gaslighting or misinformation campaigns. The "syndrome" reflects how the embedded, daily use of these platforms can rewire stress responses, making the digital world a persistent source of psychological threat.

Example: A journalist who survived a coordinated mob attack on Twitter now compulsively checks three different analytics tools before posting anything, drafts tweets in a notes app to scrutinize them for "attack vectors," has lost their authentic voice online, and experiences a full-body freeze response when seeing a certain notification sound. Their offline relationships suffer because they're emotionally exhausted from this constant digital defense posture. Their personality and nervous system have been pathologically shaped by the platform's hostile dynamics. Social Media Trauma Syndrome.

by Dumuabzu January 25, 2026

Social Media Psychosis

A colloquial term for a breakdown in the perception of consensus reality, induced or severely exacerbated by prolonged, immersive engagement with social media ecosystems. It is characterized by the inability to distinguish between algorithmically-amplified narratives and offline reality, adopting the extreme affective states and persecutory frameworks of online tribes as one's own, and experiencing relationships and events primarily through the interpretive lens of viral discourse. This is not clinical psychosis, but a culturally-specific distortion where the curated, performative, and conflict-driven social media environment becomes the primary source of "reality testing," leading to paranoia, identity fragmentation, and emotional reasoning detached from embodied context.

Example: Someone who spends hours daily in political hashtag wars begins to believe that people in their offline workplace are "NPCs" (Non-Player Characters) part of a secret ideological plot, interpreting neutral comments as "dog whistles." They feel constantly monitored, attribute mundane events to vast online conspiracies they follow, and their speech becomes a series of slogans and accusations lifted from tweets. Their social reality has been wholly colonized by the architecture and culture of the platform, inducing a functional psychosis specific to the digital age. Social Media Psychosis.

by Dumu The Void January 27, 2026

Social Game Theory

The application of game theory to everyday interpersonal and social dynamics—friendship, reputation, gossip, dating, and office politics. It decodes the unspoken rules and strategies behind why you buy a round of drinks, how gossip spreads, or the subtle dance of a flirtation. It treats social life as a series of iterated games where the payoff is social capital, trust, or mating success.

Example: “Explaining why I always help my neighbor move his couch, my friend used social game theory: ‘It’s an iterated Prisoner’s Dilemma. You cooperate (help) to build trust and reciprocal cooperation. If you defect (refuse), you save an afternoon but lose future help and damage your reputation in our social network. The couch isn’t furniture; it’s a token in a long-term trust game.’”

by Abzunammu February 2, 2026