academic.oup.com
In Germany, the current outbreak of mass social media-induced illness is initiated by a ‘virtual’ index case, who is the second most successful YouTube creator in Germany and enjoys enormous popularity among young people. Affected teenagers present with similar or identical functional ‘Tourette-like’ behaviours, which can be clearly differentiated from tics in Tourette syndrome.
Another choice quote
patients often reported to be unable to perform unpleasant tasks because of their symptoms resulting in release from obligations at school and home, while symptoms temporarily completely disappear while conducting favourite activities.
Jump in the discussion.
No email address required.
Notes -
I wouldn't say a virus is quite the term for it. A meme, in the Dawkinian sense, describes it well.
A meme rarely spreads purely through social influence though. Religion, cultural trends, and jokes app spread because there's some deeper appeal than just fitting in.
I'd say this is a case where it's even more likely there's a deeper appeal to accepting the social contagion, since there's the obvious downside of being stigmatized for neurological disorders, whether real or imagined.
My first guess would be that there's a shared, desperate need to be unique, yet still find comfort in some sort of comraderie.
More options
Context Copy link