The Loneliness Epidemic: How Virtual Signaling Divides America

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What if that righteous post you just shared is actually making you lonelier? Virtual signaling — the loud declarations of moral superiority on social media — has become more than just an annoying trend. It's potentially driving a nationwide and global loneliness epidemic with far-reaching consequences for mental health and social cohesion.

Across America, we're seeing alarming patterns: white women publicly rejecting white men as potential partners, college-educated young people of color disconnecting from their middle-class parents until "they receive reparations," and angry social media posts that divide rather than unite. Behind these performative displays lies a troubling reality — loneliness statistics have reached unprecedented levels. The Census Bureau reports 45% of white women aged 25-34 are now single (up 10% in a decade), one in five millennials have zero friends, and 60% of Gen Z reports chronic loneliness. Even more disturbing, five out of sixteen children at a summer camp admitted to suicidal thoughts due to loneliness and depression.

But what if this isn't just a cultural shift? What if virtual signaling serves as a psychological operation designed to divide and control? Dr. Jean Twinge suggests that isolated, angry individuals are easier to manipulate politically and economically. History shows that lonely people join cults, consume excessively, and make decisions from a place of desperation rather than discernment. As our society inches closer to various forms of conflict, the question becomes: how do we resist? The answer isn't demonizing those who virtual signal but dismantling the game itself. By focusing on behaviors rather than identities, building bridges through genuine conversation, and rediscovering our common humanity, we can break free from the loneliness trap. Your sanity and our collective future depend on it. Share this episode with someone who needs it, and join us in choosing connection over division.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:03):
What if your social media flex is making you lonely?
Today we're exposing virtualsignaling and how it's.
A PSYOP, a psychologicaloperation driving America's
loneliness epidemic.
Virtual signaling it's thatloud.
Look how moral I am.
Post like white women on Xsaying no more white men.

(00:23):
But what is it?
It's flexing virtue for likes,not change, and it's trending
hard.
Is virtual signaling tearing usapart?
Experts hint at lonelinessepidemic sweeping America and
the West.
Experts warn of a hidden agenda.
Lonely, angry people are easierto manipulate.
It's a vulnerability to exploit, says psychologist Dr Jean

(00:47):
Twenge.
Could this be intentional?
Let's uncover the truth andstrategies to fight back without
demonizing anyone.
Hi friends, welcome to the NewNormal Big Life Podcast.
We bring you natural news andstories about nature that we
hope will inspire you to getoutside and adventure, along
with a step-by-step plan to helpyou practice what you've
learned and create your own newnormal and live the biggest life

(01:09):
you can dream.
I'm your host, antoinette Lee,the Wellness Warrior.
Welcome to today's episode.
We're diving into somethingheavy but so important for the
human species and our nation tosurvive.
What if the loudest voices onsocial media aren't just
annoying?
They're part of a plot to makeyou lonely?

(01:29):
Picture this a white womanposts on X.
I'm done dating white menracking up likes, reposts and
social credit.
Angry baby boomers riskingtheir safety and freedom to
vandalize someone's vehicle inan attempt to ostracize people
they assume voted for onepolitical party or another.
Or young people of color whowould rather scream about how

(01:52):
they've been victimized and areowed reparations rather than
becoming part of the Americanmiddle class through hard work
like the rest of us.
These social media posts arebold rest of us.
These social media posts arebold.
It's viral, but it's more thanjust a flex, don't you think?

(02:13):
Welcome to the world of virtualsignaling, a trend that's
quietly reshaping relationships,mental health and society in
unhealthy and dangerous ways.
Let's dive in.
So what's virtual signalinganyway?
On social media, grabbingattention fast is key.
Virtual signaling does justthat.
It's when someone publiclydisplays moral superiority, like
rejecting an entire race ofpartners to gain social approval

(02:38):
.
Media videos to bait someoneinto committing crimes against
politicians and law enforcementand other acts of violence to
garner attention.
Think of it as a peacockstrutting its feathers, but
instead of beauty, it'srighteousness on display.
A tundering example on X showswhite women swearing off white

(03:00):
men, claiming it's anti-racist.
But is it really or is it asignal gone rogue?
The Diagnostic and StatisticalManual of Mental Disorders, or
DSM-5, doesn't directly addresshating your own race or gender,
but it ties self-rejection toserious issues Under major

(03:21):
depressive disorder.
It notes feelings ofworthlessness or excessive guilt
can spiral from distortedself-perception.
Dr Jonathan Haidt, a socialpsychologist, warns when people
turn against their own identity,it's a recipe for isolation and
despair.
A 30-year-old woman, sarah,shared I stopped dating white

(03:42):
guys to prove a point.
Now I'm just lonely andexhausted.
I stopped dating white guys toprove a point.
Now I'm just lonely andexhausted.
Middle class parents of colorare stunned that their college
age, college educated childrennow hate them and their parents'
money that paid for theircollege education.
Now some of their young adultchildren have disconnected from
their parents and chose to optout of the middle class until

(04:05):
they get reparations.
I even had a personal exchangewith a young man who felt this
way on X recently.
I was attempting to encouragehim that the middle class is
still available to anyonewilling to work and sacrifice to
have it.
Using my story as an example, Ibought my first house as a
single woman at age 32.

(04:26):
Today I own my fourth home,together with my guy Matt, but
young Americans in increasingnumbers are convinced they're a
victim that needs to disrupt thesystem, to tear it down and
build a different one where noone owns more than anyone else
within their 15-minute city.
So we have white women andmiddle-class young people of

(04:48):
color who've turned againsttheir identity and families for
social credit.
The DSM-5 links such patternsof behavior to family strain and
societal disconnection,amplifying the loneliness
epidemic.
Five out of 16 youths at oursummer camp for children aged 6
to 16 told me and other campcounselors that they're so

(05:11):
depressed and lonely thatthey've been thinking about ways
to kill themselves, beginningin 2021.
More kids reported that thefollowing year.
Social isolation and lonelinesshave had a devastating impact on
Western society.
The erosion of community bonds,increased reliance on digital

(05:34):
communication and the breakdownof traditional family structures
contribute to widespreadloneliness linked to depression
and other mental healthdisorders.
Social media exchanges amongordinary people report concerns
about superficial socialconnections and the loneliness
epidemic.
This loneliness epidemic refersto the widespread feeling of

(05:55):
isolation and lack of meaningfulsocial connections,
particularly among white men,veterans, law enforcement and
younger and older people.
White men, veterans, lawenforcement and younger and
older people.
Additionally, research pointsto loneliness as a significant
factor in the mental healthcrisis.
When we come back from thisshort break, we'll talk about

(06:17):
the loneliness stats by age,cohort and gender, and how it's
led to a mental health crisis.
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(07:46):
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Before we cover the next topicin this episode, I want to
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call a micro story about anadventure that I've had.
The adventure sports lifestyleand my deep connection to nature
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The power had been out in ourNorthwoods region for four days.

(08:10):
Now we live in a cabin in thewoods.
In case you haven't heard mesay this before, matthew looked
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(08:30):
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(08:52):
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I hope this inspires you to getoutside and adventure alone
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(09:15):
Now back to the lonelinessnumbers, because they don't lie
folks.
Loneliness isn't just a feeling, it's a statistic.
According to the US CensusBureau, in 2023, 45% of white
women aged 25 to 34 are single,up from 35% a decade ago.
For white men, it's 38% and fornon-white men, it's 50% are

(09:41):
single.
Gen Z and millennials lead thisshift, with 60% of 18 to
24-year-olds reporting chronicloneliness.
Now imagine rejecting half yourdating pool based on race.
It's math, says sociologist DrEric Kleinberg.
Fewer partners mean moreisolation.

(10:03):
This trend could shrink optionsfurther, leaving people
stranded.
In the upcoming podcast episodeAmerica's Mental Health Crisis,
I talk about how loneliness is acontributing factor to the
despair and related deaths.
Recent surveys show between2017 and 2019, so many Gen Z

(10:24):
youth and millennial adults losttheir lives to deaths of
despair that the US lifeexpectancy decreased for the
first time in 100 years.
In addition, according to theCDC, one in five millennials
report having no friends none atall.
56% of Gen Zers reportloneliness in the past 12 months

(10:46):
and 5% of seniors are depressed.
According to the NationalInstitute for Family Studies,
loneliness peaks among youngadults 18 to 24 and seniors over
18 over 65, with differentcauses.
For the young, social mediainfluence and transient
lifestyles play roles.
For older adults, it's oftendue to the loss of social

(11:09):
networks through retirement orgrief.
The US tends to have higherloneliness rates than many
European countries where socialties and community structures
are stronger.
Mental health researcher DrNicholas Cardaris, among others,
has linked the rise indepression to the widespread use
of technology and social media,suggesting that these tools,

(11:31):
while connecting us globally,often lead to superficial
interactions and a lack of deep,meaningful relationships.
That's why I make an effort,when I'm communicating on social
media with people who follow meand veteran groups and other
groups that I'm a part of, isthat I take the time to make an

(11:53):
effort to really get to knowpeople and form meaningful
connections and make truefriends online.
After this short break, we'lltalk about the loneliness
psychological operation or theloneliness PSYOP.
Is there a PSYOP to increaseloneliness at play?

(12:14):
Here's where it gets dark.
What if this isn't random?
What if virtual signaling is apsychological operation, a psyop
to divide us?
Loneliness makes peoplevulnerable, says Dr Jean Twinge,
author of iGen.
Twinge says angry, isolatedindividuals are easier to
control politically,economically, you name it.

(12:37):
A divided society fights itself, not the puppet masters.
Nefarious vulnerabilities?
I think so.
Think radicalization,consumerism, mimicking,
destructive behaviors or blindobedience to a cause.
History shows it.
Lonely people join cults, buymore stuff, commit crimes and

(12:58):
vote out of spite in response toloneliness.
Think about it.
You create the conditions wherepeople feel lonely and isolated
, while longing for connectionand to be part of something
bigger than themselves.
Then someone or some group saysyou can join us.
Is someone or something bankingon that?
The answer is yes, as virtualsignaling has led to attacks on

(13:21):
personal property, doxing andthe attempted murder of ICE and
other law enforcement agents,and rampant violent protests
requiring military interventionto stop the destruction.
The US and much of the Westernworld have become parallelously
close to civil war, race war,cultural war and other types of

(13:41):
all-out violence which couldcause governments to take away
freedoms to so-called stop theviolence.
But many think this is theultimate plan to usher in a one
world government rather than arepublic like we have here in
America.
Can you fight for what youbelieve without hate and

(14:02):
loneliness?
Sure you can.
It begs the question how do youdislike the behavior without
torching entire groups?
First, call it out specifically.
I hate virtual signaling, notwhite men, says Mia, a
28-year-old Texas woman.
Second, focus on actions, notidentities.
The identity politics thatramped up since 2018 got

(14:25):
Americans to announce theirvarious identities and then
villainize people who identifydifferently or who don't profess
to being an ally.
Criticize the posturing, notthe person's race or gender,
experts say.
Third, build bridges.
Talk to people you disagreewith, advises therapist Esther
Perel.
Connection kills division.

(14:45):
It's not about demonizing, it'sabout dismantling the game.
When you take the time to talkto someone from a different walk
of life or who holds adifferent opinion, when you get
past the rhetoric, you oftennotice that you have more in
common than you think.
Now here's the takeaway Virtualsignaling might feel righteous,

(15:06):
but it's a loneliness trap.
It's dividing us humans,shrinking our worlds, and maybe,
just maybe, someone wants itthat way.
Don't buy the hype.
Reject the script.
Connect instead.
Agree to disagree.
Your sanity, society andhumanity depend on it.
Until next time, friends, I'mAntoinette Lee, your wellness

(15:27):
warrior here at the New NormalBig Life Podcast.
I hope one day to see you onthe river in the backcountry or
in the horse barn living yourbest life.
Tag New Normal Big Life onsocial media at NNBLblog on X
and celebrate, so we cancelebrate your good health and
big life.
If you're a visual learner, youcan watch an informative and

(15:50):
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