I Might Have a Cringe Diagnosis

I want to admit something.

When I see someone who’s just starting out on social media – trying to build themselves, gain visibility, or grow as an influencer – I often feel a sense of cringe.

We all kind of understand why they’re doing it. It’s for recognition, growth, attention. But sometimes it still feels like they’re copying someone else, repeating a pattern, or imitating something already done.

And we catch ourselves thinking: “Oh come on… here we go again.”

Of course, everyone has to start somewhere, but it can also feel artificial, performative, and a little awkward.

But what’s actually happening here is more psychological than it seems.

Our brain constantly evaluates social behavior through patterns. When something feels unfamiliar, exaggerated, or out of sync with our expectations, it creates cognitive discomfort – what we call “cringe.”

It’s not about good or bad. It’s about unfamiliarity meeting prediction.

The interesting part is that familiarity changes everything.

The more we’re exposed to something, the less strange it feels. The brain stops labeling it as “wrong” and starts seeing it as “normal.” Over time, repetition turns discomfort into acceptance.

What once felt awkward becomes familiar. What feels familiar becomes acceptable and what feels acceptable eventually becomes culture.

To think about it, it’s almost ironic – but in today’s era, we end up liking far more things than we actually cringe at.

Things evolve:

* what we laughed at became what we follow

• awkward became authentic

• unconventional became high fashion

• platforms that were once laughed at became industry standards

• outdated became vintage aesthetic

What these examples made me realize is one thing – if you want to start something, you shouldn’t worry about other people cringing at it, even though I catch myself feeling that way too.

Maybe cringe doesn’t mean bad.

Maybe it’s just a spoiler of something big.

Maybe you have to cringe at something first before it ever becomes cool…