Popular Delusions: Difference between revisions

[[File:South Sea Macro Delusion.jpg|alt=South Sea Macro Delusion|thumb|'''Figure 2'''. [[Night Wind Hawkers]] sold stock on the streets during the South Sea Bubble. (The Great Picture of Folly, 1720)]]

'''Popular delusions are ideas or cultural fads that become transiently popular in a given society.''' They are characterised by their rapid transmissibility and fickle nature<ref>'''The Effects of Twitter Sentiment on Stock Price Returns''' Gabriele Ranco,Darko Aleksovski ,Guido Caldarelli,Miha Grčar,Igor Mozetič Published: September 21, 2015 https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0138441</ref>. Historically,  they start with a trigger (see '''Figure 1''') then move rapidly into their hype phase, and cause frantic activity of crowds such as the [[wikipedia:South_Sea_Company|South Sea Bubble]] (see '''Figure 2'''), [[wikipedia:Tulip_mania|Tulip Mania]] or [[wikipedia:Witch-hunt|Witch Mania]]. Today popular delusions have become ever more transmissible through the use of social media and the [[Advertising|advertising industry]]. [https://pessimistsarchive.org/ The Pessimist Archive] tracks popular delusions overtime to remind us when we are in a fad, they may seem permanent but they are merely temporary blips.

Popular delusions can have significant impacts on society and individuals. They can lead to irrational behaviors, poor decision-making, and in some cases, can result in harm or injustice. Understanding and recognizing these delusions can help individuals and societies make more informed and rational decisions.