The Age of The Social Paradox - Rob Henderson's Newsletter

In an era saturated with social media platforms and personal-brand building, you might expect a steep rise in the average person’s desire to stand out. After all, every swipe of the thumb reveals meticulously curated Instagram feeds, viral TikTok dances, and a seemingly endless supply of aspiring YouTubers. But paradoxically, our culture is fostering new forms of seemingly bold self-promotion while also becoming more risk averse. A recent large-scale study of more than 1 million subjects led by William Chopik at Michigan State University has found that the desire to stand out or be unique has sharply declined over the past 20 years. Yet at the same time, poll after poll shows that a substantial number of young people list “influencer” or “Youtuber” as their dream job. How do we reconcile these conflicting trends? A fascinating new book, “The Social Paradox: Autonomy, Connection, and Why We Need Both to Find Happiness” by William von Hippel, a social psychologist, offers some insight. D

saved by

• Susan Su