The subject is contrary to the purpose of Wikipedia. Rejected by Hoary 3 months ago. Last edited by Hoary 3 months ago. |  |
Comment: When "Samantha Sheridan’s Internet-Induced Growth Theory" is widely discussed by reliable sources independent of Sheridan, a draft might be considered. But not until then. Hoary (talk) 02:12, 18 February 2026 (UTC)
Samantha Sheridan’s Internet-Induced Growth Theory
This theory articulates a shift in how humans acquire wisdom in the modern age. Humans are capable of learning through social observation; however, when experience is mediated through another person’s perspective viewed only through the internet, the nervous system does not undergo the uncertainty, consequence, and adaptation required for full integration.
As a result, the growth gained is cognitive rather than embodied: the individual understands the experience but has not physiologically calibrated to it.
This produces fragmented development. The observer receives a curated narrative rather than full situational complexity and interprets that narrative through their existing framework. Conclusions are therefore formed without exposure to the conflicting pressures that normally refine judgment in real environments.
Consequently, individuals may articulate morally or intellectually strong positions while lacking behavioral flexibility. They may express developed social awareness yet struggle with ambiguity, contradiction, or compromise because they are learning the meaning of experiences without having to navigate them. In doing so, human touch is sacrificed; interaction becomes interpretive rather than relational.
Within this framework, the resulting misalignment between perceived understanding and embodied capacity is referred to as “mal”; a state in which an individual interprets experiences competently at a conceptual level but has not yet integrated them through lived interaction. The term is inspired by the language used in Feed by M. T. Anderson, where mediated experience subtly reshapes perception and behavior.
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Closing Orientation
The purpose of identifying internet-induced growth is not to dismiss shared knowledge, but to restore balance in how humans come to understand one another. Observation can inform, but only lived experience integrates.
True empathy requires participation. To be human is not only to understand life, but to encounter it through uncertainty, relationship, and presence.
Technology expands awareness; it cannot replace contact. Wisdom forms where knowledge meets experience.
We often place the phrase “live, laugh, love” in our homes as decoration; a message constantly visible yet not always embodied. The same pattern exists in the digital world: meaning is present everywhere, while experience is not.
The aim is not to remove the phrase, but to return it to reality. To live, to laugh, and to love not as symbols, but as experiences.