If autistics outnumbered neurotypicals would there exist screening questionnaires to test them for “hypersocial disorder?”
In screening for hypersocial traits, social media can be used as a preliminary detection tool.
In a formal diagnostic setting, it can be used even further. Social media is an excellent tool to detect hypersocial syndrome (HSS) tendencies.
In a hypothetical world on another planet, perhaps 200 lightyears away, in which those on the Spectrum are the great majority — there’s a questionnaire that tests for the possibility of HSD or HSS — formerly known as neurotypical.
What would some of its questions be?
#1. When viewing the Instagram account of one of your favorite influencers:
A — You post a comment such as “Queeeeen!” “Yassss!” or “Yellow is your color!”
B — You post a comment such as, “I wish I had your confidence!” when all the influencer has done is pose in a swimsuit.
C — You post three or four heart symbols.
D — You simply look at the image, post nothing and move on.
There’d be an array of questions focusing on reactions to an influencer’s posts on Instagram and TikTok.
The questions may be in the form of multiple-choice for a psychologist to interpret, or (particularly for online questionnaires), the answer options would be the “Never,” “Rarely,” “Sometimes,” “Often” and “Always” format.
A great question for the “Always,” etc., format would be: “One of my biggest goals in life is to accumulate as many Facebook friends as possible, including ‘friends’ I’ve never met or friends of friends of friends of friends.”
More Great Questions to Screen for HSS
Answers that would strongly indicate a hypersocial syndrome would be “Always” or “Often.”
#1. I feel distressed when someone unfriends me, even if they’re a complete stranger.
#2. One of my biggest goals is to exceed 1,000 FB friends.
The following questions would have a “Yes” or “No” answer format.
#1. I’ve purchased “friends” to boost my Facebook profile.
#2. I’ve purchased “likes” and “shares” to make my Facebook profile more impressive.
#3. I’ve created many fake Facebook accounts to add as friends.
#4. I’ve created fake conversations between my fake accounts to make visitors think that there’s a lot of activity on my FB account.
Yes, people have created fake accounts and have created “conversations” between them to yield the illusion of FB activity.
There are even several sites providing extensive instructions on how to create fake accounts.
Yes, there are companies that actually sell friends, followers, views, likes and shares, such as SocialStore.
More Screening Questions
#1. I spend several hours a day on social media, particularly TikTok, watching strangers shimmy and shake their bodies, while I think my brother is weird for spending the same amount of time looking through his telescope, reading up on galaxies and watching tornadoes on YouTube.
#2. An outfit is automatically amazing when my favorite influencer models it, even though if I saw a stranger on the street wearing it first, I’d never give it a second look.
#3. My favorite influencer’s makeup line is superior to the 3,000 other makeup lines out there.
#4. I spend a lot of time wondering how my favorite influencer gets her makeup so on-point.
#5. I think anyone who doesn’t have an active Instagram or FB account is an oddball. Anyone who’s not on Twitter is behind the times.
Autistics and Social Media
None of this is to say that most autistic people avoid social media.
In fact, for many, social media is a godsend. This includes many Facebook accounts dedicated to some aspect of autism.
There are popular Instagram and TikTok influencers with ASD.
There are autistic people who enjoy posting comments on social media and who may even feel a thrill as they see their friends and followers totals accumulate on Facebook and Instagram, respectively.
HOWEVER, by and large, it is much more likely that the neurotypicals would answer “Always” or “Often” for those questions on the HSS questionnaire, or select multiple-choice responses such as, “I wish I had your confidence!”
It’s far more likely that those with social status syndrome will fret and lose sleep when they lose followers or when they don’t reach the “queeeeen!” quota from total strangers for a particular selfie.
And it’s far more likely that the FB or Instagram account-holder who posts endless, close-up face selfies is a hardcore neurotypical.
Autistic individuals are far LESS likely to ever become preoccupied with social media status, even though, as mentioned, social media has made connecting with people easier for some neurodivergents.
