iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Ali Mattu, Ph.D. @alimattu.bsky.social · 02/03/2026

The WALL-E humans didn't stop moving all at once. They just kept choosing comfort. Amazon now. DoorDash dinner. Netflix slop. OnlyFans chat. Every day. For years. Until the easier option was the only one they could manage.

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Ali Mattu, Ph.D. @alimattu.bsky.social · 27/02/2026

What’s a friendship thing that happened to you that you’ve never fully made sense of?

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Ali Mattu, Ph.D. @alimattu.bsky.social · 26/02/2026

We went from Friends, six people, one couch, every day, to six people, one group chat, tapbacking memes.

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Ali Mattu, Ph.D. @alimattu.bsky.social · 25/02/2026

"You don't belong here." And other lies our brains tell us. I've been a psychologist for 12 years. I've also had social anxiety as long as I can remember. Things have changed. The anxious voice that used to whisper is getting louder. Not just for me, everyone I know. I think I know why. 🧵

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Ali Mattu, Ph.D. @alimattu.bsky.social · 24/02/2026

Physical activity was free for 2 million years. Then we had to pay $30/month to get it back. Social connection is next.

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Ali Mattu, Ph.D. @alimattu.bsky.social · 23/02/2026

Pretty sure if Hollywood remade Back to the Future and sent a 17 year old in 2026 back to 1996, they'd probably decide to stay there.

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Ali Mattu, Ph.D. @alimattu.bsky.social · 19/02/2026

People love to hate on Gen Z. But they've figured out something the rest of us haven't. I'm calling it inconvenience culture. Here's what they figured out and what you should steal 🧵

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Ali Mattu, Ph.D. @alimattu.bsky.social · 18/02/2026

Someone is getting rich from your loneliness. I've spent 16 years obsessed with this problem. As a psychologist. On YouTube. At a startup.And I keep arriving at the same conclusion: The problem isn't our phones. The problem is how wildly profitable the loneliness economy is. 🧵

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Ali Mattu, Ph.D. @alimattu.bsky.social · 18/02/2026

I'm a clinical psychologist who's obsessed with social connection. I believe being with people is the most powerful mental health tool we have. Social media is allergic to all of this. 🧵

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Ali Mattu, Ph.D. @alimattu.bsky.social · 06/09/2025

One of my videos was in this study of digital single session interventions for depression 🙌🏽 Check out the summary below and the preprint here: osf.io/preprints/ps...

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Ali Mattu, Ph.D. @alimattu.bsky.social · 12/07/2025

9 years, 5 Star Wars movies, 14 Star Wars series, and 6 Star Trek series later… We’re back at #SDCC!

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Ali Mattu, Ph.D. @alimattu.bsky.social · 23/05/2025

Human minds feel. AI minds predict. We build meaning through emotion, surprise. AI processes everything else, seeing patterns we'd never see. The magic happens when these minds meet, humanity amplified by AI. This is how I’m trying to do that 👇🏽 yournextmind.substack.com/p/human-mind...

yournextmind.substack.com

Human Mind vs. AI Mind

We feel. It predicts. What happens when they meet?

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Ali Mattu, Ph.D. @alimattu.bsky.social · 26/04/2025

I’ve come to believe that AI is the mental health challenge of our time. We didn’t see change coming with social media. But all the signs of change are here, now. And this time we can do something about it: www.braverwithanxiety.com/why-ai-scare...

braverwithanxiety.com

Why AI scares me and how I'm fighting back

We weren’t ready for social media. Let’s not make the same mistake with AI.

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Ali Mattu, Ph.D. @alimattu.bsky.social · 24/04/2025

We’ve already seen what happens when we hand kids powerful tech without guidance. Instagram can make girls who already doubt themselves hate themselves even more. YouTube can take boys who feel invisible and lead them down a path of rage and radicalization.

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Ali Mattu, Ph.D. @alimattu.bsky.social · 23/04/2025

Everyone’s trying to fix what social media did to our minds. We didn’t see that disruption coming. But this time, we can see it coming.  AI is changing everything. This isn’t just a tech revolution. It’s a mental health one.  🧵

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Ali Mattu, Ph.D. @alimattu.bsky.social · 17/12/2024

Why JURASSIC PARK remains perfect: Age 10: DINOSAURS!!! Age 17: That score... Age 21: "It's a critique of scientific hubris" *writes 20-page paper* Age 25: The effects still look good! Age 35: Oh, it's about learning to be a parent Age 41: *Watching AI news* "...Malcolm was right"

media.tenor.com

a glass of water is sitting on a table in front of a black background

ALT: a glass of water is sitting on a table in front of a black background

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Ali Mattu, Ph.D. @alimattu.bsky.social · 12/12/2024

What an amazing penultimate episode of Star Trek: Lower Decks last night! It was everything I love about this show: 1. Ridiculous. 2. Funny. 3. Doing things you can only do in animation. 4. A total celebration of the frachise. And yes, the multiverse sucks! 🖖🏽

media.tenor.com

a cartoon of a woman in a red shirt with a star trek logo on it

ALT: a cartoon of a woman in a red shirt with a star trek logo on it

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Ali Mattu, Ph.D. @alimattu.bsky.social · 04/12/2024

I have a great joke about social anxiety but you’ll unfollow me if I post it

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Ali Mattu, Ph.D. @alimattu.bsky.social · 01/12/2024

Share something black and white

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Ali Mattu, Ph.D. @alimattu.bsky.social · 29/11/2024

My parents bought me psychology books. Today my daughter found me on a shelf. Dreams echo across generations.

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Ali Mattu, Ph.D. @alimattu.bsky.social · 24/11/2024

'Check in with yourself' is lonely advice leading to more rumination, isolation. What we need is social support. Sometimes it's gaming together, baking cookies, or just texting. It's organic. Scalable. Free. We don't need mindfulness campaigns. We need communities to show up for each other.

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