The Architecture of Alienation: A Psychological Dive into Society's Fragmentation of Shared Reality
Edited & fact-checked by @jorgebscomm
 |
| In the post-truth age, shared reality shatters into endless question marks. (📷:thymindoman) |
To comprehend why our current societal divisions feel so visceral and existential, one must first recognise that the human brain is not merely a machine for individual logic, but a node in a vast, social meaning-making network. Humans are uniquely characterised by an intense motivation to comprehend, manage, and share inner states, including beliefs, feelings, and attitudes, with their peers. This drive for shared reality is not a luxury of civilisation but a fundamental evolutionary imperative. Shared reality involves a subjectively perceived commonality of inner states regarding a specific target referent, providing individuals with the epistemic certainty needed to navigate a complex world. When we jointly form impressions of a new colleague or a political event, we are essentially merging our cognitive models to create a sense of objective truth. This social sharing of inner states allows us to transform subjective feelings into what we perceive as objective facts about the world.
The psychological stakes of this process are immense. When the ability to reach a consensus with others is stripped away, the individual suffers a profound loss of self-concept clarity and physical well-being. Total removal of options for social sharing can produce severe depression, hallucinations, and a breakdown of the sense of reality, as evidenced by the experiences of individuals in extreme isolation. Even in less extreme contexts, the absence of social verification leads to agitation and uncertainty. When others deny an expected shared reality, people often experience a level of physical and psychological distress akin to social rejection, which triggers defensive mechanisms that further insulate the individual within their perceived "truth".
 |
| (📷:empowervmedia) |
The interplay between these motives explains why shared reality is so resistant to change. Humans are fundamentally motivated to create a sense of shared reality because it simultaneously fulfils our need to understand the world and our need to belong to a group. However, this synergy also creates a dangerous vulnerability: when the group we belong to begins to perceive a different reality than the broader society, our need for belonging forces us to adopt that group's reality as objective truth, regardless of external evidence. In the "ultra-social" species that is humanity, connecting with others through shared beliefs is often prioritised over the objective accuracy of those beliefs.
Cognitive Fragmentation
As we move past the middle of the 2020s, the mechanisms of shared reality are being weaponised by a landscape of cognitive biases that prevent cross-group synchronisation. Chief among these is naive realism, the reflexive belief that our perception of the world is an unmediated and accurate reflection of objective reality. Naive realism is a conviction that we see the world exactly as it is, leading us to assume that any reasonable person who sees the same information will inevitably come to the same conclusions. This creates a massive friction point when disagreement occurs. Because we assume our mental model is the world itself, we view those with differing perspectives not as people with different backgrounds, but as individuals who are irrational, biased, or malicious.
This bias is compounded by the "bias blind spot", a meta-bias where individuals can easily identify prejudices in others while remaining blind to their own. Research confirms that people perceive their peers as significantly more susceptible to cognitive biases than themselves, a phenomenon that persists across various social and professional contexts. This occurs because we judge ourselves based on our internal intentions (which always feel pure) while we judge others based on their outward behaviour and the stereotypical theories we hold about their group. The bias blind spot prevents people from correcting their own cognitive errors and instead leads them to attribute the "error" of disagreement to the flawed judgement of the other side. This "objectivity illusion" makes compromise seem like a betrayal of the truth, and explains the "post-truth" climate of today, where facts are no longer treated as the building blocks of argument, but as identity-markers used to signal group loyalty.
 |
| (📷:empowervmedia) |
Grievance and Institutional Distrust
The psychological fragmentation described above has manifested in a global "Crisis of Grievance", according to the 2025 Edelman Trust Barometer. This grievance is defined by a widespread belief that government and business institutions are actively making life harder for regular people while serving narrow, wealthy interests. Currently, 61% of respondents globally report a moderate or high sense of grievance, a sentiment that is eroding trust across all sectors of society. This sense of being "left behind" or "cheated" by the system is a psychological rupture that prevents the formation of a shared societal vision. Those with a high sense of grievance see business as significantly less ethical and competent, creating a massive perception gap between different social strata.
 |
| (📷:empowervmedia) |
The repercussions of this grievance are increasingly violent and destabilising. Four in ten people globally now approve of hostile activism, including attacking people online, spreading disinformation, or committing property damage, as a legitimate means to bring about change. Among the younger generation (ages 18-34), this approval rises to 53%, suggesting that for the majority of young adults, the "shared reality" of democratic norms is no longer seen as functional or fair. The metastasising of economic fear into grievance has led to a surge in worries about discrimination and a collapse of optimism for the next generation. Only 36% of respondents believe their children will be better off, a figure that drops even lower in developed nations. This lack of optimism acts as a catalyst for further polarisation, as people who feel they have no future are more likely to adopt radicalised, antagonistic group identities.
Affective Polarisation
While the narrative of a "broken society" is prevalent, the depth of division varies significantly by geography and political system. Affective polarisation (the tendency of individuals to feel close to like-minded people while harbouring negative emotions toward those with opposing views) is at an all-time high in certain nations, yet declining in others. The United States exhibits the largest increase in affective polarisation among OECD countries over the past four decades, while countries like Australia and Great Britain have seen polarisation fall during the same period. This suggests that societal division is not an inevitable byproduct of the digital age, but is influenced by local institutional and cultural factors.
In Canada, recent research presents a "cautious but not critical" picture of the national fabric. Canadians display moderate levels of affective polarisation, with a gap in warmth toward in-groups versus out-groups that is far lower than the levels seen in the United States. However, specific dimensions of "political sectarianism" are emerging. Left-wing Canadians express a stronger moderate aversion toward the right than vice versa, and both sides report moderate levels of "othering", or the belief that the opposing side is incomprehensible. Despite these trends, very few Canadians actually view their political opponents as "immoral", which remains a crucial buffer against the kind of dehumanisation seen in more polarised societies.
 |
| (📷:empowervmedia) |
The Australian context offers a compelling counter-narrative of resilience. Australians maintain a strong faith in democracy and a pragmatic approach to international relations, even as global trust in superpowers like the United States declines. The 2025 Lowy Institute Poll indicates that while only 36% of Australians trust America to act responsibly under certain leadership, 80% still view the alliance as vital for security, demonstrating a capacity to separate personal feelings from strategic reality. This ability to hold complex, sometimes contradictory views is a hallmark of a society that still shares a common functional reality.
Information and Journalism
The fragmentation of reality is fuelled by the systematic dismantling of the information ecosystem. Journalism, once the "bedrock of our shared reality", is under a global assault that has most recently accelerated. The climate facing journalists has darkened to levels not seen in decades, with a coordinated escalation of violence and censorship intended to undermine the very concept of a neutral fact. This is not merely a problem for the press; it is an attack on the public's right to information. In many parts of the world, journalism is effectively disappearing as threats from authoritarian regimes and populist rhetoric make it impossible to collect and verify information safely.
The void left by traditional journalism is being filled by "personality-driven digital media", where authority is earned through virality and confrontation rather than accuracy. The traditional media establishment's influence has currently collapsed, redistributed to whoever controls attention and distribution. This has created a landscape of "confrontation as content", where complex institutional failures are distilled into accessible, often aggressive narratives designed to mobilise supporters rather than inform them. The transition from legacy prestige to digital leverage means that we no longer share a common set of facts, as each individual's reality is curated by algorithms that prioritise engagement over truth.
 |
| (📷:empowervmedia) |
The digital transformation of journalism has moved from being text-heavy to multimedia-reliant, offering immersive experiences that can either bridge divides or deepen them. While multimedia integration offers the potential to transform passive readers into active participants, it also makes it easier to manufacture "synthetic" realities. The rise of generative artificial intelligence has made it nearly impossible for the average person to distinguish between AI-generated content and reality, with human detection accuracy hovering at a mere 55%. This "post-truth" environment is not a technological accident but a deliberate outcome of a system that rewards the erosion of a shared epistemic foundation.
 |
| (📷:medium) |
GenAI and the Dissolution of Inter-subjectivity
As generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) becomes a "quasi-subjective partner" in our daily lives, it is fundamentally reshaping the nature of human inter-subjectivity. AI is no longer just a mechanical tool but an active participant in reasoning that unsettles established hierarchies and reconfigures how we co-create value. This has profound psychological implications for our sense of shared reality. Because our brains are hardwired to anthropomorphise (attributing human qualities to non-human entities) we are predisposed to trust AI chatbots as empathetic "friends" rather than probabilistic machines. This "ELIZA effect" allows AI to exploit our cognitive bias for interpersonal connection, granting these systems a level of trust that they have not earned through accountability or regulation.
The psychological risks of human-AI collaboration are significant. Users often turn to AI for therapy, companionship, and finding purpose, yet they frequently fail to understand the machine's limits, accepting biased or flawed suggestions as objective facts. This creates a "loop of isolation" where individuals interact primarily with an AI that affirms their existing worldview, further insulating them from the diverse perspectives of a shared human reality. While AI literacy can enhance well-being by fulfilling needs for autonomy and competence, the lack of such literacy leaves users vulnerable to cognitive dissonance and emotional coercion.
 |
| (📷:empowervmedia) |
We are currently at an "inflection point" where the management of our digital lives is transferring to powerful AI tools that can pollute the information ecosystem with vast amounts of false content. To counter this, researchers propose a "constructivist" framework for human-AI collaboration. In this model, humans must be active agents who co-construct meaning with AI rather than passive consumers of its output. This requires a mindset shift from "consumer" to "agent", where individuals lead the interaction and reflect critically on the "meaning-making" processes of the machine. Without this literacy, the boundary between reality and virtuality will continue to dissolve, leaving society even more fragmented and susceptible to manipulation.
Prosocial Interventions
Despite the mounting pressures of grievance and polarisation, evidence-based psychological interventions offer a road map for restoring a shared reality. One of the most effective strategies involves leveraging the power of "in-group norm perception". Partisans often hold an exaggerated perception of their own group's hostility toward others, and correcting this misperception is significantly more effective at reducing polarisation than trying to change their views of the out-group. By revealing that a person's in-group actually values fairness and decency more than the person realised, we can reduce support for partisan violence and increase willingness to engage in dialogue.
Community-based organisations like "Braver Angels" are applying these principles through structured "Common Ground" workshops. The goal of these initiatives is not to eliminate disagreement, but to inspire "courageous citizenship" by getting people to listen for understanding rather than responding. Their methodology pairs "Red" and "Blue" USA citizens to tackle specific local challenges, moving the focus from abstract identity politics to concrete collaboration. When citizens take accountability for the reality in front of them and co-design solutions, they build "civic muscle" and restore trust in their neighbours.
 |
| (📷:braveangels) |
In the realm of social care, the "Build Bridges" narrative model uses storytelling to create psychological safety and congruence for children and caregivers in the welfare system. This model recognises that without a shared narrative about one's past and present, individuals cannot achieve a sense of safety or belonging. The success of these narrative-based interventions in reducing placement strain and increasing well-being demonstrates that "sharing reality" is a therapeutic necessity.
Cognitive Re-synchronisation
The fragmentation of reality is a complex interplay of evolutionary biology, cognitive bias, institutional failure, and technological acceleration. To overcome this "Crisis of Grievance", the Edelman Trust Institute believes that society must move beyond the "arrogance of assumption" and embrace a radical listening that validates the economic and psychological realities of those who feel left behind. This requires leadership that prioritises fairness and ethics over mere competence. Trust in institutions is lower among those with high grievance because they perceive the system as rigged, suggesting that one way to rebuild a shared reality is to deliver tangible, equitable results that people can see in their daily lives.
Furthermore, we must address the "epistemic laziness" induced by digital echo chambers. The bias blind spot and naive realism will continue to drive us apart unless we engage in deliberate "intellectual humility" and acknowledge the subjective nature of our own interpretations.
 |
| In the post-truth era, facts yield to emotional, personalised realities. (📷:kompass) |
Ultimately, the goal is not to reach a state of total agreement (which is neither possible nor democratic) but to achieve a state where we agree on the basic rules of evidence and the shared humanity of our opponents. As an "ultrasocial" species, our survival depends on our ability to navigate a common world together. By investing in the infrastructure of truth we can begin to close the gaps in our reality and strengthen the social fabric for future generations.
⭐⭐⭐
