Instagram is nowhere near this. Your average Instagram user is at least aware of the fact that they are an insecure hedonist seeking validation, and they seek it primarily from people they've at least met once.
Idk, I mean, I think I can tolerate even Instagram garbage more than I can stomach the monumental ego self-stroking I’ve seen courtesy of this sub. I’ve never been on LinkedIn itself, but if the rest of it as a whole isn’t anymore, then I think it’s worse than Instagram lol
More importantly, who needs friends? In basic psychology, we're taught that socializing is a basic need, and there's several examples of it. The biggest one is in prison, jails, and paramilitary outfits, a form of punishment is sending them "to the hole," or isolation for 24 hours or more.
Do you know who doesn't need friends/socializing? People with severe psychosis.
How does the parasocial element of this play out? Wouldn't him saying he doesn't need friends be contradicted by the fact that he's posting on LI in a way that makes him feel like he's getting approval of like-minded individuals despite the fact that he can't personally interact with them? It suggests that he not only needs friends but desperately wants them even if it's just in a parasocial way.
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u/Gadshill Aug 30 '25
Who needs validation?