When Ari Fletcher declared herself a “gym girlie,” Twitter acted like she’d invented crunches. One casual tweet spiraled into think-pieces on abs, authenticity, and whether the gym is real or just vibes.

This episode? A cyberpsychology deep dive. We’re talking rage-baiting as influencer cardio, why parasocial judgment feels like a team sport, and how hate-watching turns into emotional CrossFit.

Messy, petty, and a little academic, it’s cyberpsychology with contour.

References

Perceived Authenticity

• Breves, P. L., & Schramm, H. (2022). Perceived authenticity in social media communication: Consequences for influencers and followers. Cyberpsychology. Link

Parasocial Judgment

• Wohn, D. Y., Freeman, G., & Quehl, K. (2022). Parasocial judgment in live streaming: Understanding audience evaluations of streamers. Cyberpsychology. Link

Rage Baiting

• OnPar Therapy NYC. (2023). Rage bait meaning: Understanding the manipulation behind rage-baiting. Link

Emotional Contagion

• Ferrara, E., & Yang, Z. (2022). Measuring emotional contagion in online social networks. Frontiers in Psychology. Link

Self-Presentation

• Fox, J., & Moreland, J. J. (2015). The dark side of social networking sites. Computers in Human Behavior. Link

Impression Management

• Routledge Textbooks. (n.d.). Impression management. In Self-Presentation and Identity Online. Link

Digital Misogyny

• Peris, M. (2025). Digital misogyny: Online abuse and gender inequality in the digital age. Psychology Today. Link

Surveillance Culture

• Manokha, I. (2022). Surveillance culture in digital societies. Cyberpsychology. Link

Season 7 of Love Island USA left viewers in collective chaos — and in this episode, we unpack why. From dizzying recouplings to editing mind games that fueled social media meltdowns, we revisit the season’s most unhinged moments and how they trapped us all in the spectacle.

But this isn’t just a recap. Through a cyberpsychology lens, we dig into what makes reality TV so addictive (even when it feels toxic), why we project so much onto islanders we’ll never meet, and how platforms like TikTok and Twitter amplify drama until it feels personal. Think of cultural analysis as group therapy — with plenty of messy fun along the way.

“We are all victims of Love Island USA Season 7.” This one’s for you.

Reference List

Cyberpsychology

• New Jersey Institute of Technology. (n.d.). What is cyberpsychology and why is it important? Retrieved from https://www.njit.edu/admissions/blog-posts/what-cyberpsychology-and-why-it-important

Digital Lab

• Dotmatics. (n.d.). What is a digital lab? Retrieved from https://www.dotmatics.com/faqs/what-is-a-digital-lab

Second Screening

• Unplugged. (2023). Second screening: How it impacts health and brain function. Retrieved from https://unplugged.rest/blog/second-screening-how-it-impacts-health-and-brain-function
• Voorveld, H. A. M., et al. (2024). Second screening and its impact on consumer behavior. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science. Retrieved from https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11747-024-01048-3

Algorithmic Amplifications

• ACM Digital Library. (2024). Algorithmic Amplifications: Exploring digital echo chambers through AI and voice cloning. Retrieved from https://dl.acm.org/doi/pdf/10.1145/3641523.3665172#:~:text=Algorithmic%20Amplifications%20is%20a%20conceptual,of%20social%20media%20echo%20chambers

Attention Economy

• Wikipedia. (n.d.). Attention economy. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attention_economy

Context Collapse

• Encyclopedia.pub. (n.d.). Context collapse. Retrieved from https://encyclopedia.pub/entry/54901

Parasocial Relationships

• Verywell Mind. (2023). What is a parasocial relationship? Retrieved from https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-a-parasocial-relationship-5210770