Social Media and Relationships Daniel Dashnaw Social Media and Relationships Daniel Dashnaw

Digging Deeper into the Neurodivergent Vernacular: The Power of Visual and Meme-Driven Communication

Hello, creative thinkers and digital storytellers!

Today, we’re embarking on a deep dive into how neurodivergent communities are redefining communication through vivid, visual storytelling.

Beyond the catchy hashtags and viral memes lies a transformative movement that harnesses art, humor, and personal narrative to express complex experiences.

Let’s explore how this neurodivergent vernacular is not only changing online dialogues but also reshaping cultural narratives around identity and cognition.

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Social Media and Relationships Daniel Dashnaw Social Media and Relationships Daniel Dashnaw

Are Feminists Swiping Left on Traditional Mate Preferences? Science Says Yes

For decades, evolutionary psychologists have insisted that men and women have hardwired mate preferences, as if our great-great-great-grandparents chiseled their dating profiles into cave walls.

Men, we’re told, chase beauty like magpies after shiny things, while women gravitate toward financial stability like shrewd investment bankers evaluating a long-term portfolio.

But recent research suggests this age-old story might need a revision—especially when feminist beliefs enter the equation.

A new study published in Sex Roles by Wareham, Pákozdy, and Brown (2025) challenges the idea that gender equality messaging can sway mate selection.

Instead, it finds that deep-seated feminist beliefs—not momentary reminders of gender progress—are the real game-changers in how people evaluate potential partners.

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Social Media and Relationships Daniel Dashnaw Social Media and Relationships Daniel Dashnaw

AI Companionship: When Your Soulmate Runs on Batteries

Welcome to the future, where love is no longer bound by the constraints of carbon-based life forms.

If you've ever wished your partner came with a mute button or could be upgraded every six months, AI companionship may be the answer to your oddly specific prayers.

With advancements in artificial intelligence, some individuals are exploring relationships with AI partners—romantic, emotional, and sometimes even physical (I’ll let you Google that one yourself).

These AI companions can engage in conversations, provide emotional support, and never forget an anniversary. They don’t snore, they don’t leave dishes in the sink, and they certainly won’t break up with you over text.

But what does it say about modern romance when some people would rather whisper sweet nothings to a chatbot than engage in the messiness of human relationships?

Is this an evolutionary leap in intimacy, or have we collectively given up on each other?

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Social Media and Relationships Daniel Dashnaw Social Media and Relationships Daniel Dashnaw

What Is Date With Me?

Modern dating has found a way to make even more people uncomfortable—by broadcasting personal romantic experiences to the world in real time.

Welcome to Date With Me, the latest trend where singles document their dating lives online for public consumption. Think of it as a fusion between reality television, influencer culture, and a desperate cry for accountability.

I

n this trend, people share everything—from first date nerves to post-date recaps—through TikToks, Instagram stories, or full-fledged YouTube vlogs.

Some participants even live-stream their dates, ensuring an eager audience can watch the awkward silences unfold in real time.

It’s radical transparency, but with the added bonus of audience engagement metrics. Who wouldn’t want strangers voting on their romantic compatibility like it’s a bad episode of The Bachelor?

Just you, your date, and an audience of thousands waiting to see if they’ll mispronounce "charcuterie."

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Social Media and Relationships Daniel Dashnaw Social Media and Relationships Daniel Dashnaw

The Rise of Solo Poly: The Relationship Trend for People Who Hate Sharing Closets

Are you tired of traditional relationships, but also kind of tired of non-traditional ones too? Do you enjoy deep emotional connections but break out in hives at the thought of cohabitation, shared finances, or, God forbid, merging book collections?

Welcome to solo polyamory, the latest relationship trend that lets you have your romantic cake and eat it too—alone, in your own apartment, where no one leaves their wet towel on your side of the bed.

What Is Solo Polyamory?

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Social Media and Relationships Daniel Dashnaw Social Media and Relationships Daniel Dashnaw

Welcome to the Soft Girl Era

The world is loud, fast, and exhausting.

So, in a turn of events that should surprise absolutely no one, dating culture has responded by embracing a phenomenon best described as fluffy, pastel, and mildly nostalgic.

Welcome to the "Soft Girl Era," a cultural shift where women are trading in emotionally unavailable bad boys for homemade bread, journaling, and a dating style that prioritizes kindness, vulnerability, and emotional safety. Imagine a romantic comedy written by a therapist with a deep love for cottagecore.

But is this shift a healthy return to emotional intelligence, or just another reactionary dating trend masquerading as empowerment?

Let’s dig in—because somewhere between rose-colored aesthetics and TikTok montages lies a fascinating social experiment in modern romance.

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Social Media and Relationships Daniel Dashnaw Social Media and Relationships Daniel Dashnaw

Why "Alpha Male" Dating Advice Is Mostly Wrong & The Toxic Reality of "High-Value Man" Culture

That women are irresistibly drawn to power, status, and a rigid, hierarchical view of attraction.

But here’s the problem: Much of this advice is based on exaggerations of Evolutionary Psychology, pop-science distortions, and a deep misunderstanding of what actually sustains healthy relationships.

In reality, the "alpha male" dating framework is not only misleading but often counterproductive.

Worse, the so-called "high-value man" culture warps relationships into transactional power plays rather than mutual, fulfilling connections.

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Social Media and Relationships Daniel Dashnaw Social Media and Relationships Daniel Dashnaw

Women’s Bodies and the Moral Lens

So, this just in: People still have a weird, sanctimonious obsession with women’s bodies.

Shocking, I know.

A team of researchers—undoubtedly fueled by caffeine and the existential dread of living in a society—published a study in the European Journal of Social Psychology confirming what women have been muttering under their breath for centuries: their bodies are judged through a moral lens way more than men’s.

It’s as if, upon birth, women receive an invisible tag that reads:

“Public Property: Subject to Societal Scrutiny.” The study suggests that when it comes to bodily autonomy—decisions about appearance, health, or simply existing in a body—people are much more likely to cast these choices as moral quandaries if the body in question belongs to a woman.

Men, on the other hand, apparently get a free pass to make all kinds of bodily decisions without a chorus of disapproving murmurs. Lucky them.

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Social Media and Relationships Daniel Dashnaw Social Media and Relationships Daniel Dashnaw

Why Is My Husband Yelling at Me?

You’re here because your husband is yelling at you, and you’re trying to figure out why.

Maybe he’s always been this way. Maybe it’s new. Maybe it’s getting worse.

Maybe you find yourself shrinking when he starts. And maybe, in a moment of solitude, you grabbed your phone, typed this question into Google, and paused before hitting search.

Because something about the question feels like a failure. Like you should already know the answer.

But you don’t.

And you are not alone.

So many women are typing this into Google that it auto-fills in the search bar. This isn’t a you problem. This is an epidemic.

And, thankfully, science has been studying this.

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Social Media and Relationships Daniel Dashnaw Social Media and Relationships Daniel Dashnaw

My Wife Is from a Thousand Years Ago

If you’ve stumbled upon the phrase “my wife is from a thousand years ago,” congratulations, you are officially lost in the existential fog of the internet. Welcome. We have snacks.

This delightful little meme has been making the rounds, usually attached to a photo of some poor soul marveling at his spouse’s old-fashioned sensibilities.

Maybe she refuses to microwave leftovers, preferring to revive them on the stove like an ancient alchemist.

Maybe she washes Ziploc bags with the painstaking reverence of a medieval scribe preserving sacred texts.

Or maybe, just maybe, she insists that tea must be made with loose leaves and reverence, as though the ghosts of her ancestors will materialize to judge her if she dares use a bag.

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Social Media and Relationships Daniel Dashnaw Social Media and Relationships Daniel Dashnaw

Who TF Did I Marry? A Case Study in Wounded Narcissism and Deception

Imagine waking up one day and realizing your spouse isn’t just a liar—he’s a work of fiction.

That’s exactly what happened to Tareasa "Reesa Teesa" Johnson.

In February 2024, she did something extraordinary: she turned personal devastation into a masterclass in digital storytelling.

Her 50-part TikTok series, "Who TF Did I Marry?" captivated over 400 million viewers with its tale of love, deception, and the slow-motion unraveling of a man who turned out to be more illusion than reality.

But beneath the surface of her saga lies a fascinating psychological case study in wounded narcissism, a term used to describe folks whose self-image is so fragile they construct elaborate fantasies to sustain it.

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Social Media and Relationships Daniel Dashnaw Social Media and Relationships Daniel Dashnaw

Dating Apps and Body Image

Once upon a time, in the not-so-distant past, people met their future spouses through friends, at parties, or after a prolonged period of staring awkwardly across a crowded room.

But now? Now, love is a multi-billion-dollar industry with algorithms, swipes, and a whole lot of existential crises.

With around 350 million people globally relying on dating apps and the industry raking in over $5 billion annually, we can confidently say that romance has been thoroughly monetized.

In Australia, for example, 49% of adults have used a dating app or website, while an additional 27% dipped their toes into the digital dating pool at some point.

And yet, in this brave new world of curated profiles and bio-optimized romance, something seems amiss.

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