Online presence, a quest for self

Every month, youtuber Ralph Müller delivers his scathing analysis of a phenomenon typical of the times. This month, he delves into the dynamics of engagement on social networks.

There's a lot of talk these days about misinformation, and rightly so, but another form of misinformation is overlooked: that which comes from the gap between gesture and intention. For a variety of reasons, the vigour of engagement, particularly on the networks, is less an indication of pure passion than of a problem of identity.

The random and ephemeral nature of enthusiasm and anger should alert us to the good faith of their promoters. This contrast between the intensity of reactions and their speed of rotation is highly symptomatic of contemporary identity.

We have reason to believe that the reaction, agentivity prop