Pamela Pavliscak Maps 5 Digital Emotion Shifts in New Book on AI and Social Media
Updated
Updated · Next Big Idea Club Magazine · Jun 26
Pamela Pavliscak Maps 5 Digital Emotion Shifts in New Book on AI and Social Media
1 articles · Updated · Next Big Idea Club Magazine · Jun 26
Summary
Five insights from Pamela Pavliscak’s new book argue that digital life is reshaping emotional experience rather than simply damaging it, with people inventing practical ways to stay human online.
New terms such as orthosomnia, sadfishing and “AI brain fry” show how the internet expands emotional vocabulary; Pavliscak says naming these states can improve emotional regulation and reduce stress.
Online relationships also run on distinct rituals — from “pebbling” and “phonnecting” to routine check-ins — supporting her argument that intentional screen use can deepen connection more than passive scrolling does.
Social feeds, Slack and comment threads accelerate emotional contagion, while bodies still register the strain through effects like screen apnea and phantom vibration syndrome.
Pavliscak says the bigger lesson is that users are improvising norms around phones, social media and AI, including when digital support becomes emotional outsourcing.