Has social media made conforming to so called norms even more essential, resulting in an explosion of people who don't, feeling they must have something pathologically wrong with them?

[NeelyOHara1]

As counter intuitive as it sounds I think there was much more room in the past for different ways of being and thinking.

Complex.

I think there are a lot of people who have never ‘conformed’. They can now find each other and validate that via the internet, whereas in a small community they’d keep it to themselves.

I also think there are a lot of people looking to ‘fit in’, and they seek out communities which they can be part of - we have always done this (religion etc), but it’s method of capture has changed due to online communities.

Do people think there’s something pathologically wrong with them? If anything.. I’d say more extreme identities and ways of life are more normalised than ever.

Yes. It's the embodiment of the MNism comparison is the thief of joy.

I think it’s the opposite. SM gives more opportunity to find like minded people and realise there’s a reason for why you feel the way you do, and you can name it. Pre SM you might feel like the only person in the world with your weird quirks, anxieties and ways of seeing and feeling things.

I think the opposite, that social media is responsible for the viewing of a wide range of "normal" as somehow pathological

Sometimes there is something pathological going on, and it can benefit people to communicate with each other. They can be diagnosed and get help. Like ND.

Sometimes SM is unhelpful and results in indoctrination. Like trans ideology convincing boys who like stereotypically female things, that they’re actually girls. There seems to be no room for ‘feminine‘ boys or ‘masculine’ girls anymore. Nothing pathological going on with them other than potential mental health issues, but SM has played a big role in making kids think there’s something more going on than simply not conforming to made up stereotypes. These masculine girls and feminine boys fall into the norms of humans but SM tells them they don’t.

Does a bear shit in the woods?

That said, are you sure you’re using “pathologically” correctly?

I was thinking it could be another reason behind the increase in people identifying as autistic as in the past I actually think there was more room for individuality, as counter intuitive as it sounds. I agree there is more room on the internet to find your tribe but it will still be viewed by the majority as niche.

Identifying as autistic? Interesting take

It’s our usual late night goady autism poster. 🙄

Seems like it. I’ve reported.

<awaits the usual influx of goady posters that these posts attract>

Not sure why that’s goady? Whee I live a lot if teens, are self diagnosing themselves as autistic, annd use it as another reason to be trans.

Nothing goady about talking about "self id'ing" as autistic.

It's a genuine phenomena and, as someone with an official NHS autism diagnosis, it really pisses me off.

Mostly seems to be young people. It doesn't help that an increasing number of forms ask if you "identify as disabled" rather than asking if you are disabled.

You’re either autistic or you’re not.

Unfortunately long waiting times means people may strongly suspect they are autistic but have to wait years for assessment. It can be beneficial to realise they may be autistic to try to access help and get reasonable adjustments. Schools for example, can help kids, even when not diagnosed, by making reasonable adjustments which can make all the difference to a struggling as yet undiagnosed child.

Unfortunately with waiting times the way they are, it’s necessary sometimes.

My daughter is autistic but even before she was diagnosed, she found it helpful to hear about others.

This.

@TFITheWeekend I do get the problem with long waiting lists.

Reading about autism and recognising traits in oneself can be really helpful. You can understand why you find some things difficult and, whether you ultimately end up with a diagnosis or not, you can discover ways to cope with those difficulties and you can be a bit more forgiving of yourself.

But there is also an element of social contagion which I am very wary of.

Can't edit on the app on my phone.

@TFITheWeekend I didn't mean to imply that social contagion is involved in your daughter's case or in every similar case.

But it does exist among pockets of young people.

Don’t worry, I didn’t take it that way. She has zero social media anyway, she’s not interested at all. Part of her autism for her.

I get annoyed at people getting annoyed about people ‘self IDing. A friends child believed she was autistic, as did her mum and it took over 3 years to get an assessment. It turned out she is autistic. Thankfully her mum and school/college staff had used techniques to help and provided reasonable adjustments for years based on the difficulties she had.

It’s not for anyone to gatekeep, especially when waiting lists are as long as they are.

Adjustments in schools are based on needs, not on diagnosis.

when I first started working in a school for autistic children years ago, one of the first things we were taught in training is that virtually EVERYONE - when they learn about autism, is going to identify with aspects of it and start wondering about whether they are autistic too.

And that most people are not

Lucky you for having your diagnosis, other people aren’t so fortunate. Ignoring ND whilst on a 5 year waiting list is not something anybody should have to do as acknowledging it brings huge benefits mentally.

Would just like to point out that research shows autistic teens are far more likely to have experienced bullying than non autistic teens. Autism is also often referred to in a derogatory way in schools by young people. I have 3 autistic dc who gave experienced this as have I and one dc who refuses to accept their diagnosis because of the stigma it brings. Very few young people will willingly broadcast being autistic unless they have good cause to.

@Chewitzzz FYI I didn't get my diagnosis until I was in my early 50s so don't assume that I don't understand what it's like to go through the difficulties of being a teenager with the additional struggles of undiagnosed neurodiversity.

And so did I however I identified as autistic before my diagnosis and I was right to because I am. Pretending I’m not and all that comes with that because diagnostics and society let women and girls of my generation down is not an acceptable suggestion.

It's actually an accidental form of Social Credit, similar to the system used in China.

If you are not seen to conform you are punished, and in a lot of cases, publicly humiliated by having footage of your transgression shared online. The West is actually becoming less democratic and free. And for some reason, young people in particular are demanding more of the same. We are sleepwalking into totalitarianism.

The issue you are describing is the cognitive dissonance associated with the feeling of helpless and apathy that people have towards their own autonomy. They know they are losing the ability to live their life on their own terms, but they are too lazy to do anything about it.

Social Media is the single most corrosive and destructive thing to have happened to society. It is turning the world into a cess pit of homogeneous gloop.