Disconnection: The Search for Identity in a Digital Age
Edition: 1
Copyright: 2026
Pages: 350
Edition: 1
Copyright: 2026
Pages: 270
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An in-depth exploration of how identity is being constructed in the digital age. Drawing from the science of longevity, mental health and wellness, and social psychological literature, the author embarks on an analysis of all the ways in which technologies such as social media are pulling users away from their true selves. Confronting radicalization and extremism in digital spaces, the pre-internet age of the 1990s is explored, with the emergence of the Jerry Springer Show as the reigning king of talk serving as a harbinger for more audacious and extremist content to explode online. Disorder as identity, fame seeking and indoctrination within the manosphere all serve as significant risks to developing youth. How to navigate information overload and anchor oneself in healthier notions of self are explored. An invitation to radically reconsider one’s relationship to the self, which necessitates rethinking one’s relationship to technology.
Part I: Health
Chapter 1—
Know Thyself: Intersection of Nature & Nurture
Chapter 2—
Pillars of Health & Wellness: Science of Longevity
Chapter 3—
In Pursuit of Self-Awareness: Conditions of Worth
Part II: Seeking
Chapter 4—
Fame-Seeking: Aspriations of Self in a Social Media Age
Chapter 5—
Identity as Disorder: ‘Madness for Identity’
Chapter 6—
That’s so 90’s: Clickbait Before ‘Clicks’
Part III: Rupture
Chapter 7—
Is Everyone in a Cult? Rupture of Identity & the Manosphere
Chapter 8—
My Advice is Don’t Take This Advice: Male Fragility & the Manosphere
Chapter 9—
A Perversion of Science: Techno-Oligarchy, Transhumanism, & Eugenics
Chapter 10—
Witness to Genocide: Graphic Content & Its Effects
Part IV: Awakening
Chapter 11—
User Beware: Addictive by Design
Chapter 12—
This is What We Are Up Against: The Atomic Bomb of the 21st Century
Chapter 13—
Reclaiming the Self: The Opt-Out
Dr. Aalai, PhD, is an Associate Professor with Tenure at Queensborough Community College, City University of New York (CUNY). She also serves as an Adjunct Professor for the M.A. program in Psychology at New York University (NYU). She is a regular contributor for Psychology Today, in addition to her expertise being featured in publications such as Rolling Stones, and the Washington Post. Her work has been published in peer-reviewed, academic journals. She has also been featured on programming for NPR, Impact by Nightline, Good Morning America (ABC), A&E, and Investigative Discovery. Dr. Aalai’s research pursuits include Holocaust education, genocide studies, media studies, and mass atrocity/genocide prevention, peacebuilding & conflict resolution. She currently resides in Brooklyn, NY.
An in-depth exploration of how identity is being constructed in the digital age. Drawing from the science of longevity, mental health and wellness, and social psychological literature, the author embarks on an analysis of all the ways in which technologies such as social media are pulling users away from their true selves. Confronting radicalization and extremism in digital spaces, the pre-internet age of the 1990s is explored, with the emergence of the Jerry Springer Show as the reigning king of talk serving as a harbinger for more audacious and extremist content to explode online. Disorder as identity, fame seeking and indoctrination within the manosphere all serve as significant risks to developing youth. How to navigate information overload and anchor oneself in healthier notions of self are explored. An invitation to radically reconsider one’s relationship to the self, which necessitates rethinking one’s relationship to technology.
Part I: Health
Chapter 1—
Know Thyself: Intersection of Nature & Nurture
Chapter 2—
Pillars of Health & Wellness: Science of Longevity
Chapter 3—
In Pursuit of Self-Awareness: Conditions of Worth
Part II: Seeking
Chapter 4—
Fame-Seeking: Aspriations of Self in a Social Media Age
Chapter 5—
Identity as Disorder: ‘Madness for Identity’
Chapter 6—
That’s so 90’s: Clickbait Before ‘Clicks’
Part III: Rupture
Chapter 7—
Is Everyone in a Cult? Rupture of Identity & the Manosphere
Chapter 8—
My Advice is Don’t Take This Advice: Male Fragility & the Manosphere
Chapter 9—
A Perversion of Science: Techno-Oligarchy, Transhumanism, & Eugenics
Chapter 10—
Witness to Genocide: Graphic Content & Its Effects
Part IV: Awakening
Chapter 11—
User Beware: Addictive by Design
Chapter 12—
This is What We Are Up Against: The Atomic Bomb of the 21st Century
Chapter 13—
Reclaiming the Self: The Opt-Out
Dr. Aalai, PhD, is an Associate Professor with Tenure at Queensborough Community College, City University of New York (CUNY). She also serves as an Adjunct Professor for the M.A. program in Psychology at New York University (NYU). She is a regular contributor for Psychology Today, in addition to her expertise being featured in publications such as Rolling Stones, and the Washington Post. Her work has been published in peer-reviewed, academic journals. She has also been featured on programming for NPR, Impact by Nightline, Good Morning America (ABC), A&E, and Investigative Discovery. Dr. Aalai’s research pursuits include Holocaust education, genocide studies, media studies, and mass atrocity/genocide prevention, peacebuilding & conflict resolution. She currently resides in Brooklyn, NY.