Tension: Young people crave authentic connection while simultaneously constructing elaborate systems to avoid direct ...

Tension: AI systems now replicate empathetic language with such precision that we experience emotional responses to ...

Tension: We value reciprocal relationships while quietly resenting the people who actually maintain them through invisible, ...

Tension: We’ve developed a communication style through screens that feels more authentic than our face-to-face interactions, ...

Tension: We’re building professional reputations through performative availability rather than actual output, creating a new ...

Tension: The casual language we use to keep dating light has become a shield that prevents genuine connection and honest ...

Tension: We’ve normalized a relational economy where some people give endlessly while others take selectively, creating ...

Tension: We share our struggles strategically to control how others see us while protecting ourselves from genuine ...

Tension: We construct digital identities that feel dishonest yet somehow more true than our actual lives. Noise: ...

Tension: We’ve outsourced our moral development to recommendation engines that optimize for engagement rather than wisdom, ...

Tension: We perform self-awareness for an audience while avoiding the actual uncomfortable work of understanding ourselves.

These explanations feel satisfyingly simple, and they let us frame the issue as a problem of technology rather than ...