{
  "$type": "site.standard.document",
  "canonicalUrl": "https://jacob.blog/notes/hypernormalization",
  "path": "/notes/hypernormalization",
  "publishedAt": "2025-06-13T00:00:00.000Z",
  "site": "at://did:plc:ckthoyuvsmkp254fyuinyzb2/site.standard.publication/3mndm6tiamb26",
  "tags": [
    "culture",
    "society"
  ],
  "textContent": "Hypernormalization is the feeling that the world is changing while institutions and leaders act as if everything is still normal—creating cognitive dissonance that can make people doubt their own perception.\n\n- Concept from anthropologist Alexei Yurchak; Rahaf Harfoush applies it to macro stressors (climate, technology, pandemic fallout) plus always-on information overload.\n- Related: pluralistic ignorance—everyone privately senses something is wrong but takes silence from others as proof they alone are overreacting.\n- Coping by pretending “everything’s fine” can work briefly but lets structural cracks widen; small fixes deferred can mean larger failure later.\n- Duality Harfoush names: you can still prefer _this_ era for opportunity and still honor that local turbulence on the trend line hurts.",
  "title": "Hypernormalization"
}