Studies: The Heaviest Social Media Users Are Addicted to Cruelty and Humiliation; Virtue Signalling Linked to Psychopathy

Study one: The heaviest users of social media are addicts.

Obviously.

But the new finding is that they're specifically addicted to hurting people.

The heaviest users of social media have personalities that enjoy angering and embarrassing others....

A fascinating study of 472 university students tracked their usage on two top platforms for 18-to-24-year olds: Snapchat (2.64 hours per day) and Facebook (2.28 hours per day). Researchers found that users displaying addictive behavior were also more likely to be motivated to be cruel and callous and to use others for personal gain.

"Our results demonstrate that individuals who have a greater preference for these types of rewards display greater problematic use of both platforms," write the researchers, who note that these traits are also associated with narcissism and psychopathy and have previously been correlated with addictive internet use. They write that social media sites unwittingly "cater to people who seek rewards from being cruel, such as through cyberbullying or various aggressive online behaviors."

Another study, cited by the placement/hiring website Ladders, seems to warn employers about online virtue signallers: Don't hire them, they're psychopaths doing what psychopaths do best, pretending to be Nice People in order to manipulate others and take advantage of them.

Someone please do a Wellness Check on champion virtue signaler Seth Mandel, stat!

If you've seen examples of virtue signaling, chances are that person could be a narcissist, psychopath, or a manipulator, according to a new study.

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A study by researchers from the University of British Columbia sought to figure out the "consequences and predictors of emitting signals of victimhood and virtue."
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Following the tests done in a series of studies, the authors said they showed how individuals with Dark Triad traits -- Machiavellianism, Narcissism, and Psychopathy -- were more frequently showing signs of virtue signaling.

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While virtue signaling does have benefits such as raising awareness toward certain causes or holding people accountable, the authors warned that it can be used as a "tactic for self-advancement and goal pursuit."

Oh, that's silly. Seth Mandel doesn't virtue signal on twitter all day to advance himself socially and in his career in liberal-leaning media. He's earnestly saying the politically-correct, leftwing-approved virtuous things about every single subject that exists!

It's just a complete coincidence that Seth Mandel happens to hold every position and every #HotTake that his future liberal editors and employers would want him to hold.

Speaking of the darkness of the internet and the psychopaths who find refuge and kinship there:

An editor of a biology journal made a silly joke about a lame worm being the most overrated thing in the world. Apparently this lame worm is the subject of many, many papers, and this editor is tired of reading about this stupid, insignificant worm.

So he made a joke.

Guess what happened next?

That's right, he was #Cancelled by the worm's defenders, who explicitly demanded he step down from his position as chief editor because, well, Racist Against Worms.

posted by Ace at 05:21 PM

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