Have you ever known anyone to Dance until they died? Have you ever heard of it? One of the oddest and most glaring forms of social contagion occurred in the year 1518, in Strasbourg, Alsace (modern-day France), and it's referred to as the Dancing Plague of 1518. Approximately 50 and 400 people started dancing uncontrollably for weeks on end, many of them collapsing due to complete exhaustion, and some others dying due to stroke or heart attack.
It all started with a woman named Frau Troffea, who suddenly started dancing, and couldn't stop for a week. Very quickly 3 dozens people, after seeing her, started dancing uncontrollably, and increased from there.
Certain people, being so easily susceptible to social and societal que's, joined in crying that there was nothing they could do, and they couldn't stop. Which became their new reality.
Now image that happened today. How many Social Media Platforms are the springboard to Social Contagions? All of them. Which is why there is a very understandable fear in TikTok, and the fact that it's controllable by the Communist Government of China.....On top of the obvious spying issues with the software, as congress pointed out multiple times. Keep all that in mind as you read further.
An example in your every day life, are catch phrases that suddenly spring up all around you:
Calling things Fire, Hot, Bet, Dab, Dude, Rock On, YO,
These are just the innocuous examples. But what about the more dangerous ones? Like the Dancing Plague.
Studies have found that if you even broach a topic, those most susceptible will often adopt those issues, and make it their new reality.
Which is why Psychologists all over the world have suggested we, as a society do not speak about certain controversial issues, such as Suicide or Self Harm. Even in a light to dissuade others. Because there was a large noticeable increase in Hospital Reported Injuries, wherever both topics were discussed. But there are other social contagions that are suddenly on the rise. And we all should be vigilant of where it's originating and make the community aware of it.
Part of the issue with Social Contagion, is that the most mentally vulnerable among us, when confronted with this "Alternate Reality", adopt it completely. That becomes their base reality, potentially forever. Not only do they adopt these new realities, they truly believe THAT is who they are. That becomes their complete identity as a person. Sometimes that becomes their life obsession. This phenomenon, known as Social Modeling, highlights the power of Social Contagion to shape perceptions and behaviors in ways that may have far-reaching consequences for the individuals' well-being.
We all have our own individual versions of reality. Very true. But at the extremes, the people who have caught the Mental Contagion have an individual version of "Reality" that is so far from base level reality, that it causes distress in the brain. Just because a person fully believes the Moon is bright purple, doesn't make it true, no matter how hard they believe it. But that strong belief causes problems when their psyche is taking in information that directly contradicts their own accepted Base "Reality", yet they refuse to accept that constant barrage of information their brain is processing as true, while clinging to their own distorted reality. Which can cause depression or worse. We should seek to help these people, instead of encouraging them.
(if you yawned, you just adopted a Social Contagion)
Furthermore, social contagion can have profound implications for public health, particularly in the context of Contagious Diseases and Health-Related Behaviors. Similarly, the normalization of risky behaviors, such as substance abuse or unsafe sexual practices, can increase the prevalence of problems for the individual and community.
Crime rates can also be a social contagion. When a community of people accept stereotypes, they often are inundated with those social ques around them, and become the cartoon character of those stereotypes combined. Hence why people say Music affects people negatively.
Despite its pitfalls, social contagion is not inherently negative. In fact, it can be harnessed as a powerful tool for positive social change. Social movements, for instance, rely on the principles of social contagion to mobilize individuals around shared causes and effect meaningful societal transformations. By understanding the mechanisms underlying social contagion and leveraging them strategically, individuals and organizations can work to counteract its negative effects and harness its potential for good. Dr Martin Luther King Jr. is a prime example. One man with an important message can affect us all.
But at the same time, we should not just accept community movements. As we have seen over the years, many movements have caused nothing but destruction and harmed the communities they profess to care about.
One way to mitigate the pitfalls of social contagion is through Critical Media Literacy Education. When reading any article, ask yourself "What is the Author Trying To Convince Me Of". As a person in my 30s, I don't recall a time when that mythical Journalism existed that was "Fair and Balanced". Everything you read today is based around someone's opinion, and the writing is geared towards persuading you towards their opinion. We see it all the time, and it's created mass divisiveness in our society. I'm doing it right now, even though I'm engaging in trying to educate the public.
It would be amazing if there Really were a college that taught Journalism. Because That college would teach, through repetition, how to eliminate bias in your writing. Our natural state is to write our bias.
It's best to foster a culture of skepticism and inquiry, media literacy education empowers individuals to resist the influence of misinformation and harmful ideologies, ultimately promoting a more informed and resilient society.
In conclusion, while social contagion can have powerful positive effects on individuals and society, it also carries with it a host of pitfalls that must be navigated carefully. It may be that those that seek to engage in creating any form of Social Contagion is a person that should never be allowed to induce Social Contagion, because every person has an agenda. And would never understand the Butterfly Effect from introducing a Contagion, until it's far to late.
From the spread of misinformation to the amplification of harmful behaviors and attitudes, social contagion poses significant challenges that require thoughtful interventions and collective action.
Our greatest weapon against Negative forms of Social Contagion, are sometimes exactly it's own strength. Publicly Outing any and all individuals promoting these Negative/Harmful Contagions, as those individuals often know what they are doing is wrong and unacceptable in Society if it is truly wrong.
But For people in history like Sir William Wallace, Rosa Parks, Geronimo, Ghandi, , Buddha, Jesus, Moses. These Accidental Heroes in the right time and place. Social Contagion had changed Society around us, and the world, in ways that are innumerable, and good.
