Psychology Today | 01.02.2026 01:26
It seems that nearly every post and comment I'm seeing on social media is brilliant—but in a twisted way. Reading these expectorations, I’ve begun to experience something uneasy and perhaps even disingenuous. People "speak" with confidence and coherence that initially feels reassuring and rather impressive. Yes, the language is glib, the POV sounds settled and authoritative. Yet too often, this fluency fails to stand up when the conversation evolves and moves deeper. A simple follow-up question lands and the cognitive ground beneath the words begins to soften if not crumble. As more language appears, less understanding follows. And this, when addressed directly, can result in a sort of "cognitive antagonism" that further compromises the discourse.
