Individuals can mitigate negative social interactions by choosing to disengage from people who introduce negativity into their lives.

“Yeah, yeah, it's a thing I try to teach my kids too, like if someone's annoying you, just ignore them. Like there's nothing to be gained by continuing to interact with people who are bringing negativity into your life.”

He claims that popular and socially central individuals disproportionately skew the average, making it a mathematical fact that most people have fewer friends than their friends do.

“The reason it's true is that people who have a lot of friends, people who are really popular, wind up getting overcounted. They're sampled a lot more when you ask any random person, who are you who are you friends with?”

Social media has negatively impacted society by exposing users to toxicity and malevolence that they were previously shielded from in smaller communities.

“It's funny that the small world, I know, you'd think the small world's, well, 'cause it's a Disney song, right? ♪ It's a small world after all ♪ Like it's supposed to be good, and yet it does expose you to toxicity and malevolence that you might've been shielded from in the small town. Social media ”