Social Proof
September 14th, 2025
- Social proof defines the validity of subjectivities (worldviews)
- For example, we believe a tree is green and wooden because we all agree it so
- Language is a function of social proof, we are dependent on others to frame worldviews
- There are consumers and producers, and there are observers and framers. Framers work on distorting perspective to validate a new reality
- Value is a subjective function. Although in history it has been more constant
Yesterday, I spent the entire day locked in my room. Skipping breakfast, I DoorDash'ed chicken soup for lunch and a rice dish for dinner from a couple nearby takeout asian restaurants. My body ached from the flu, and my mind ached from the lack of stimulation.
I played two games for the first time in a while, The NONexistenceN of you AND me and The Coffin of Andy and Leyley. I thoroughly enjoyed the coffin game, the nonexistence, well, NOT-so-much. The coffin game was thoroughly entertaining, and in my eyes an accurate painting of a dysfunctional family and co-dependent relationship to boot. It's a satire on codependency to the point that murder isn't enough proof-of-love.
I felt a bit old to be enjoying a game like that, and well, enjoying a little too problem-free of a life to find it relatable. You probably couldn't pick me off the street and say, "This guy would enjoy psychological horror JRPG/RPGMaker type games." But it kind of threw me back in time when I was living in a dysfunctional household with my parents. It was very similar. And for that, I found it relatable.
Popularity
Isn't popularity just appealing to the most people you possibly can? In other words, describing your experience in the least subjective—or rather most relatable way possible?
Niche games aside, most popular mediums of work appeal to base human desires that we all are attuned to. In fact, I'd reckon to go to say that none of the emotions we feel are really ours alone—our experiences perhaps, but the perceptions we draw from our experiences are baked in the language we borrow from society—from one another.
To be popular is to be relatable on the level of the universal human condition.
To be influential is to be relatable on the level of the universal human condition.
Saying all this abstract stuff, to put it more bluntly, if you want to be popular, influential, or get along with others, well, try to relate with them in vulnerability. Don't say that you spent all weekend locked up playing video games, say that you've been feeling alone and unable to find others to reach out to. Say that being sick has put you a bit under the weather and you needed to rest for a couple days.
Don't say you're bad at sports, say that you haven't had much practice with it and am nervous. And being nervous doesn't really make you happy, so you'd rather pass on playing sports.
Don't say synchronizing or harmonizing with society makes relationship building easier, say that being vulnerable and outwardly saying what you feel (in a relatable manner) makes others relate to you easier and feel less isolated.
Pick a frame that matches the subjective society. That's how to be popular. That's how you sell yourself.
LARPing as Aki Hayakawa
Sometimes, to get me out of bed, and, well, doing chores like washing the dishes or doing laundry, I'll pretend I'm Aki Hayakawa.
To put it more relatably, I try to romanticize my life as much as I can. Especially the mundanity. The day-to-day dilly-dally gets boring from time-to-time, so why not have a little fun with it? Try to pretend that I'm some character, some clean, organized, and respectable fellow.
It actually works though. Pretending to be someone I'm not. Somehow my actions comply, and I've cleaned my apartment spotless. It's not some degenerate gooner cave with laundry and unwashed dishes strewn across the place, but somewhere respectable that some dignified lady wouldn't mind spending a couple hours at.
I wonder enough, if I do it enough, will it still be a LARP?
When will roleplay and the role I play be indistinguishable?