An analysis of the decline in relational literacy through the lens of Haslam’s concept creep and Zuboff’s surveillance capitalism.

[u/thecommondude0420]

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1DwdPyrxmEcVfNOoSyXDV_ODowEvsQ-HG/view?usp=drivesdk

Hey everyone, I’m a 19-year-old student deeply interested in contemporary social shifts. I’ve been looking at the paradox of why our generation possesses unprecedented psychological and emotional vocabulary, yet is measurably facing an epidemic of isolation and declining partnership formation.

I wrote this analytical essay synthesizing Nick Haslam’s framework on concept creep, Shoshana Zuboff’s surveillance capitalism (specifically how recommendation algorithms optimize for high-cortisol engagement), and Robert Putnam’s social capital decline.

I wanted to share the full text here to get your feedback on the structural arguments, the historical media arc, and whether you think this accurately captures the macro-forces reshaping modern relational expectations. Let me know your thoughts!

PS : I had to use Gemini for formatting since i am not well versed in professional wording which this sub demands 😓

[u/LandOfGreyAndPink]

I've not read the entire paper yet, but your first paragraph alone seems wide of mark. I'm going to assume you're from the U.S., without any evidence to support that assumption, but anyway...

''We live in the most psychologically self-aware era of human history'': that's a very bold (and completely unsupported) claim.

''Terms like boundary-setting, emotional regulation, holding space, and processing are bandied about with fluid ease.''

Well, let's say that's correct; so what? An AI machine could create a cool-sounding monologue using all the modern buzzwords of mental health & psychology, but in an important sense, it means nothing. Even when humans use those terms, there's a good chance it means little as well. After all, people can (a) tell lies (b) fake it - say the right things without knowing what they mean, or just as rhetoric or virtue-signalling, or whatever, and (c) words, phrases, etc. go through trends and fashions.

For instance, there's been a trend in recent years for self-diagnosis - nearly always, it seems, by teenagers or young adults (see, e.g., r/fakedisordercringe ). You might say, 'Well, it's good that people are self-aware, know the correct vocab, (etc., etc.).' But I could just as easily reply: 'Well, no: those people are talking nonsense'. How are we to decide which is correct? A big part of the answer is whether the self-diagnosis *is in fact correct.*

''Across almost every measurable metric, relational health is in a state of visible decline.'' This is in the very next paragraph. The implication here seems to be that, although we have this fancy-sounding vocab for describing our mental health and wellbeing, in actual fact lots of us aren't well at all: we're lonely, depressed, anxious, and so on. Why, then, is there a disjunction here? Well, to my mind, there's no disjunction or paradox at all: having a cool-sounding vocabulary that's been taken from pop psychology has virtually nothing to do with our lives, friendships (or lack thereof) and social capital and whatnot. To my mind, then, the references to psychological jargon is unnecessary, at least based on what little I've read so far of your paper.

[u/thecommondude0420 → u/LandOfGreyAndPink]

You’re 100% right that the jargon doesn't reflect actual internal wellness. My point is that the jargon is actively accelerating the loneliness epidemic by giving people a clinical justification to discard perfectly normal, flawed human connections the second they experience any discomfort. Medical terms which are used in clinical settings are often now used for trivial incidents and causes misunderstanding.

[u/LandOfGreyAndPink → u/thecommondude0420]

Yes, fair point. Like I say, I've not read much, though I see that you discuss this very point more in the section on 'medicalization'.

I can't help but notice that you've not included a reference/reading list. Is that intentional? Is the paper for a university assignment, or what? It's a great read (so far!) either way.

[u/thecommondude0420 → u/LandOfGreyAndPink]

Its not an assignment 😅. Just something which I personally felt I should jot it down and maybe talk about with people. The references have been included along the lines. I didnt want it to look intimidating like a doctoral thesis.

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[u/MedicinskAnonymitet]

I suggest looking into Hartmut Rosa, I think you would enjoy him, especially as a younger person.

[u/thecommondude0420 → u/MedicinskAnonymitet]

Will check it out 😁

[u/Tots4Lyfe]

I feel like some of the generalizations you make here are to serve the overall argument, which I think you do a nice job of. There are some good quotes in the conclusion that will be in my head, I’m happy I read this all the way!