The Anxiety of the Like": A Psychoanalytic Look at Digital Discontent

Have you ever noticed that our world is running at high speed? And have you also noticed that the "like" we receive on our posts has become extremely important? If so, then you know what we're talking about here. Perhaps you're one of the few who understands how the digital age works and knows how to make the best of it.

But if you don't, and your currency is the "like," then it's possible you've lost the measure of your own worth and are feeling an existential emptiness that manifests in increasingly noisy ways. It is in this scenario that psychoanalyst Alexandre Miranda de Souza offers a profound and thought-provoking analysis in his new book, "The Anxiety of the Like."

Far from being just another self-help manual, this work is a courageous essay that questions the root of our contemporary dissatisfaction. The author invites us to understand the figure of the "Like' subject"—one who, in the relentless pursuit of digital validation, ends up exposing a fragility that existed long before social media. Alexandre, drawing on his academic backgrounds as a historian, educator, psychopedagogue, and psychoanalyst, paints a picture where immediacy is not merely a product of digital capitalism. He argues that Lacan's capitalist discourse, which encourages the subject to seek jouissance (an immediate pleasure) without pausing for reflection, is rooted in the lack of reflection itself—an expression of the human inability to deal with lack and with limits.

The true strength of the book lies in its interdisciplinary approach. The skeptical and factual perspective of a historian, with extensive experience in teaching, contrasts with and complements the depth of psychoanalysis and psychopedagogy, creating a text that is both rigorous and accessible. The author champions psychoanalysis as the most potent tool for transformation we possess, precisely because it goes against everything society offers us: instead of ready-made answers, it proposes attentive listening; instead of quick solutions, it invites us to embrace slow time and embark on a journey of self-knowledge.

"The Anxiety of the Like" is one of those rare invitations we should not deny and must accept as plausible reflection. It shows us that happiness is not instant, but the result of a deep and honest work with our own psyche. It is an essential read for those who, even in a world saturated with information and approval, still wonder what hides behind the rush and the "I'm fine," without truly knowing how to cope with the feeling of "I'm not fine at all."

Read the book with your Kindle Unlimited plan or purchase it at this link:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FLNCG62H