---
date: 2019-05-24
modified_at: 2019-05-24
tags: [philosophy, social-media]
description: How urbanization and modern communication have caused a Human Network Explosion that our brains aren't designed to handle, potentially leading to increased mental and physical health problems.
---
# The Human Network Explosion

In the past 2 centuries, urbanisation, distance communication (telegram,
calling, television, internet, flat communication) and accessible commuting
speed has caused our networks to expand. As a result, we are digesting many more
connections and interactions than we were designed to. Human beings exists for
200.000 years, and we've evolved to live in groups of ±150 people. Our brain
can't maintain more than ±150 active relationships. Until relatively recently,
the majority of the global population maintained this group size, and thus this
networking size. In the past 200 years, we've invented trains, cars, airplanes,
urbanisation and distance communication. This led to extreme growth in the
amount of people the average person interacts with on a regular basis, and the
amount of one-time interactions. Let's call this the Human  Network Explosion.

My hypothesis is the following:

"The Human Network Explosion has all kinds of negative side-effects, simply
because we are not designed for this, and evolution does not allow such big
changes in a few generations. Some people may adopt better than others, but on
average, the Human Network Explosion increased probability on getting many many
mental health problems like stress, depression, psychosis and loneliness, and
probably many physical health problems too".

I'm curious about your opinion. Write me an e-mail or let me know via the blue
button in the corner.