'Mass Formation Phenomenon' is Just a Simple Marketing Trick
Don't miss out!
Who knew Joe Rogan would be so controversial? The Twitter mob recently came after the podcast king for descriptively using a racial slur in several episodes. But in early 2022, critics called for Rogan's cancellation after two episodes that sparked the "mass formation phenomenon" internet frenzy.
Dr. Peter McCullough joined The Joe Rogan Experience in December 2021, when they talked about "mass formation psychosis," among other CV-related topics.
Shortly after, Rogan interviewed Dr. Robert Malone, who also described a mass psychosis or hypnosis, as others call it.
That's when people aimed at Rogan and his medical guests.
But these guys weren't undergrads giving an uneducated opinion.
According to his USC bio, Dr. Peter McCullough graduated from Baylor University, where he served as Vice Chief of Internal Medicine. (By the way, I'm glossing over these accomplishments for the sake of time. Click the links for more details.)
McCullough also produced over 1000 publications and more than 500 citations in the National Library of Medicine.
According to his website, Dr. Robert Malone graduated from Harvard Medical School and created today's mRNA vaccination technology. The Ivy League grad also published over 100 scientific writings with over 12,000 medical citations.
Still, people bombarded Malone, McCullough, and Rogan for several topics. But most criticisms targeted their comments around a 'mass formation psychosis' since the pandemic started.
Simply put, Malone and McCollough suggested we're all under a social spell to follow CV guidelines.
But as interesting as it is, I think we can simplify these circumstances with a well-known marketing term called "the fear of missing out."
Mass Formation Phenomenon
What is "mass formation psychosis"? And what's the big deal?
"When you have a society that has become decoupled from each other with free-floating anxiety and a sense of things don't make sense, we can't understand it, then their attention is focused on a leader or series of events, on one small point, just like hypnosis, they literally become hypnotized and can be led anywhere."- Dr. Robert Malone
We know that the pandemic response split the population. Either you were on team mainstream or team outcast.
It was an all-or-nothing game. Even if you merely question the "experts," you're an outsider.
But rather than objectively analyzing this mass formation phenomenon, mainstreamers only looked to discredit a literal psychosis or hypnosis.
Peter McCullough outlined four social ingredients for mass hypnosis:
Isolation
Quarantine
Remove access from public
Quarantine and loss of businesses
Constant anxiety
Fear of losing job, health
Single solution authority
Vaccines and government restrictions
Neither McCullough nor Malone are psychologists.
So I understand we have to consider that.
But they are highly educated and experienced doctors. It doesn't make sense to paint a target on their back at that point in their careers if they didn't have a genuine concern for what they see in their fields.
Fear of Missing Out
The idea of mass hypnosis is interesting. Maybe there's proof of it, and maybe there isn't.
But I think we can simplify this mass formation phenomenon as a large-scale fear of missing out, or "FOMO."
The term first came about around 2004 as it relates to social media:
"FOMO includes two processes, firstly, the perception of missing out followed up with a compulsive behavior to maintain these social connections," according to the National Library of Medicine
Today, marketing experts use this perception to sell goods and services.
That's why sales have strict end dates. Often we hear the phrase "don't miss out" to flip the FOMO switch.
This human need for inclusion isn't anything new. We experienced it the first time we set foot on a playground.
But many times, we try to fit in without thinking about it.
For example, when we're watching a movie, and others laugh at something we didn't think was funny, we're likely to laugh anyway so as not to be the oddball.
That's called automatic mimicry.
We know we as humans respond differently in groups, on some level.
When people go online and see all their friends and family with the same outlook, we're likely to go along.
When we turn on the news, and they all support CV "science," we're more likely to believe it.
We also see many celebrities with the same view. So it's no wonder people jumped on the bandwagon.
But this was different than being a Flat Earther.
Going against the grain in the pandemic could mean loss of job, friends, or access to polite society.
Fear of Missing Out in Mainstream Media
Like most research, this article started with a Google search.
But for people that searched the term 'mass formation psychosis' shortly after the Rogan episodes, they found this:
Now that Google curated the results, we see Malone doesn't get much support.
Not only are the writers biased, but argumentative fallacies plague these works.
Contributors immediately attacked Malone and downplayed his knowledge and expertise. Even though he was probably studying vaccines while they were in diapers.
If even born.
When they state he is a licensed medical doctor, they add, "but Twitter banned him," as if social media status validates a Ph. D.
These shots from mainstream writers clearly miss the point.
Instead of acknowledging the obvious polarization and heavy influence we've seen, they seek to discredit Malone.
Mass formation psychosis isn't in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), so it's not real.
A simple appeal to authority, there's been no shortage of that.
Also, why are Forbes and CNET among the top search results?
Not that publications don't have the right to cover what they want. But why are business and computer publications ranking so high for medical questions?
It appears some are willing to admit there is strong social influence, but they get hung up on the terminology and put all their energy into an offense against Malone.
But the influence is what we're talking about.
Because not only are individuals afraid of missing out, but the media is too.
And if they can get more website traffic by jumping in the anti-Malone posse, they'll do it.
Mass Formation Phenomenon in Germany
In addition to discrediting Malone's medical expertise, they denounce him for comparing a modern mass formation phenomenon to Nazi Germany.
A Forbes contributor sarcastically mentioned, "Because who doesn't talk about Nazi Germany when talking about Covid-19 these days, right?"
Well, yeah.
But it's not the disease we're talking about. It's a reference to government control.
While on Rogan, Malone referred to how Germany evolved into the Third Reich.
"Very intelligent, highly educated population went barking mad."
But how?
Some of the world's greatest minds are German. Mozart, Einstein, Goethe are just a few.
What happened?
We know the German people didn't wake up one day and start hating Jewish people.
Hitler and his regime took baby steps to manipulate the population. Over time, the government convinced Germans they had a collective responsibility to “purify” their country.
It started with blaming the Jewish people for Germany's problems. Most popular is Germany's economic position after WW1.
Then people boycotted Jewish businesses. Boycotts evolved to vandalism and violence.
Then, the Nazi state rounded Jewish people up and placed them in ghettos. And we know what happened from there.
By 1939, anyone that spoke out met severe consequences.
Some say making Nazi or Hitler references is in bad taste. Sure, people make unfair connections, but we see a strong resemblance in some cases.
And we, as humans, set the bar for the worst atrocity we've done. Not what Americans did, or Germans, but people.
So when we see similar baby steps to Hitler's, we have a human duty to point it out.
We owe it to everyone that died in those camps and fought on battlefields to do so, as long as it makes sense.
FOMO in Germany
So were the German people under hypnosis? Maybe not literally, but we know propaganda can easily manipulate people.
We can't give a flippant answer on how Nazi Germany came to power. Over decades, many things happened that led to the Holocaust and World War 2.
I don't mean to over-generalize that, but I also don't want to write another 10,000 words in this article.
But it's fair to say the typical German citizen had a choice. Either go along with the crowd and continue to live "free," or become an enemy of the state.
Some Germans genuinely despised Jewish people and bought into the propaganda.
But I'm willing to bet more kept their mouths shut out of fear.
Today we stay quiet for fear of losing access to Twitter or our job.
But in Nazi Germany, speaking out would land you in jail or in front of a firing squad.
Think about it.
You're a bakery owner in Berlin with five kids and a spouse. You can support, or at least appear to, the Nazi movement, feed your kids, and live your life.
Or, you can choose door number two and face execution or a family trip to a work camp.
What would you do?
This is fear of missing out to the extreme. Missing out on your life.
Mass Formation Phenomenon in Entertainment
Switching gears here, don't worry, it will come together. Let's talk about Saturday Night Live.
SNL isn't funny these days, but they did a great job pushing mainstream narratives during the pandemic.
In the past two years, the comedy troupe frequently made dissenters out to be unintelligent and selfish "super spreaders."
So when they recently aired an episode where they seem to admit CV restrictions weren't what they thought, it surprised viewers.
But while many people criticize SNL for waiting until it's acceptable to question CV, I think they illustrate this mass formation phenomenon perfectly.
Comedian John Mulaney recently appeared on the show where they performed the skit in question.
The cast did the act once before in 2018 when Will Ferrell hosted, and it shows how people react when faced with controversial conversations.
The cast starts with a casual dinner conversation, but the mood changes when Heidi Gardner's character asks the table if they've read the op-ed about comedian Aziz Ansari.
The group immediately gets super nervous.
If you don't recall, Ansari came under fire after a woman accused him of sexual harassment in 2018.
With this in the middle of the MeToo movement, any form of sexism could be grounds for cancellation.
Still, the SNL characters agreed to discuss the controversy.
But since nobody wants to be the person to state their honest opinion for fear of being an outcast, they beat around the bush.
But finally, Beck Bennet says what everyone wants to say: if the woman with Ansari was uncomfortable, she should have left the date.
Immediately, everyone freaks out in a comically exaggerated manner.
Mulaney Episode
Why are we getting into SNL in detail? Because they do a great job of illustrating a mass formation phenomenon and fear of missing out.
Earlier this month, the SNL team reproduced the 'dinner discussion' performance with John Mulaney.
This time, instead of Aziz Ansari, the hot topic was CV.
Once again, Gardner breaks the mild conversation by bringing up an article about how masks and mandates had little to no effect on CV.
And again, the dinner guests overreact.
Kenan Thompson then agrees to discuss this "sensitive and emotional topic."
Mulaney eventually offers that maybe vaccine-hesitant people had a valid reason for concern. Mulaney also says they (mainstreamers) shouldn't have been so overzealous in attacking "the other."
Bowen Yang tries to break free from the discussion by asking, "isn't there something happy we can talk about?"
This is a big part of the mass formation phenomenon.
They just want to turn the other cheek.
But not addressing the issue allows more people to follow blindly.
What Proof?
I know SNL skits aren't proof, but I think it's important to note.
But what scientific evidence do we have of a mass formation phenomenon?
As the friendly writers on page one of the Google search offered, there's little to no official proof of mass psychosis.
But we know our behavior, and we can reasonably assume that if individuals are susceptible to influence, then a large group would as well.
And thanks to classic sociological research, there is evidence to show how our human fear of missing out works.
If you've heard of Stanley Milgram, then you're already familiar.
During the Nuremberg trials after WW2, many Nazi war criminals claimed they only followed orders.
Of course, that claim didn't hold up, and many went to hang out at the gallows.
But Milgram set out to study people's willingness to obey commands in the face of authority. Even when illegal or immoral.
Shock Experiment
The 1963 study identified volunteers and paired them with experiment actors, but the test subjects didn't know everyone else was hired talent.
Test facilitators then posed as scientists from prestigious universities.
'Scientists' assigned each test subject as a 'teacher,' and the actors would play the 'learners.'
Learners sat in a separate room, and the scientist hooked them up to a shock generator with electrodes attached to their arms.
The device had a range of electrical currents ranging from 15v (slight) to 450v (XXX.)
Scientists then had the teachers ask the learners questions and instructed them to shock them if they answered incorrectly.
But the shocking device wasn't real, and the actors only faked cries of pain.
Each time the learner answered wrong, the scientists asked the teachers to increase the voltage.
As you might expect, the teachers became more reluctant to shock the learners as "pain" increased.
When they hesitated, the scientists tested the learner's resistance with four escalated statements:
Please continue ("shocking" the learner)
The experiment requires you to continue
It's absolutely essential for you to continue
You have no choice but to continue
Findings
Milgram found that obedience was highest when the person giving the orders was nearby and perceived as an authority figure, such as a scientist from an Ivy League school.
Also, when the person receiving the shock was at a distance, they were more likely to continue.
More relevant to our discussion, test subjects complied more when they didn't see others expressing concerns.
In other words, if nobody else spoke up, the test subjects were more likely to increase pain levels.
This suggests we're so desperate to avoid confrontation we're willing to hurt others to make our lives smoother.
Sound familiar?
Line Experiment
Just one more, real quick.
I think this stuff strongly suggests there's truth to Malone and McCullough's arguments about this mass phenomenon.
Before Milgram shocked the world with his findings, psychologist Solomon Asch conducted a different conformity experiment in the 1950s.
This test studied how far people are willing to knowingly say something wrong for the sake of not singling themselves out.
Once again, Asch created scenarios where most participants were actors while the test observed the behavior of one oblivious test subject.
Asch showed all participants multiple cards with three lines and a separate card with a single line.
The card with the single line matched one of the three lines on the other cards.
Test facilitators asked the group to identify which line matched the target line.
On some cards, the actors chose correctly, as did the test subject.
But sometimes, the actors would all intentionally agree on the wrong line to see if the test subject would stand up for themselves.
Findings
After the team reviewed the results, they found participants complied with the obviously wrong answer 1/3rd of the time.
Test subjects were more likely to insist on the correct answer when only one actor chose incorrectly.
But when more people chose incorrectly with more group resistance, the test subject was more likely to go along with the group answer.
After the test, facilitators asked participants why they picked the wrong line when the correct answer was obvious.
A few said they honestly thought they were correct, but most admitted they kept quiet so they wouldn't appear unintelligent.
In other words, it was more important to go with the flow than stand up for what they believed in.
Wrap this Up Already
So what do Nazi Germany, an SNL skit, 20th-century social experiments, and two exiled doctors have in common?
It seems they all suggest that human beings influence each other's behavior depending on the situation on both individual and group levels.
Anyone looking at CV restrictions and mainstream ideas fairly can tell us some mass formation phenomenon that took over the world.
There may not be a DSM entry for mass formation psychosis. And maybe we weren't under literal hypnosis.
But we know ourselves, and we prove to each other time, and again we have a human fear of missing out:
Sure, I agree. Aziz Ansari is sexist, just don't sick MeToo on me.
I'm OK with rounding up Jewish people. Just don't put me in a camp.
I'll take whatever shots you want. Just don't ban me from the office or Applebee’s.
I'll help discredit these scientists as long as my article ranks high.
That's the mass formation phenomenon. That's the fear of missing out.
Wearing a mask in your car by yourself is hysteria.
Forcing children to wear masks while adults go without at the Super Bowl is psychosis.
As we come out of mass mandates and guidelines, people will consider their behavior over the past two years.
And just like those in the Asch line experiments, they will realize how easily they let others manipulate them.
Government officials shut down businesses, managers fired employees, and mandates banned people from the public square. Just for thinking independently, asking questions, and not choosing the lines that clearly don't match.
And many will be quick to forgive.
But we can all count on one thing: we sure won't forget it.
Truth 💯. Great job Berry!