The Validation Spiral
The Hook
Posting more because previous attention felt rewarding
How the Tactic Works
Intermittent social rewards can make checking feel urgent and self-reinforcing.
How AI / Algorithms May Amplify It
Notification and ranking systems can learn patterns associated with re-engagement.
How to Recognize It
I post or refresh mainly to stop feeling overlooked.
What It May Touch
Need for admiration, vanity, insecurity, approval seeking, inferiority, superiority, envy, dependency, fear of rejection
Possible Buried Belief
“I need people to keep noticing me.”