A Psychologist Unpacks Nikocado Avocado's Strange Social Experiment

Nikocado Avocado's baffling 'social experiment' reveals how much the internet truly loves a villain story.

By Mark Travers, Ph.D. | October 01, 2024

Social media has an uncanny way of catapulting specific interesting individuals to viral fame, often for more cringe-worthy than admirable reasons. Forget sex bait; in today's world, rage bait sells, and no one knows that better than YouTube's most infamous content creator, Nikocado Avocado.

Nikocado Avocado built a massive following by documenting his dramatic mukbang videos. In these videos, Nikacado would consume copious amounts of food dramatically, and sometimes disgustingly, leading to rapid weight gain.

For years, the internet loved to hate Nikocado. Everything he did was over the top, from his onscreen breakdowns to his online feuds and even his declining health. The world watched the content creator in disgust and waited in anticipation for his 400-lb body weight to finally take its toll.

Then Nikocado did the unthinkable. Over the past two years, the creator quietly shed 250 pounds while recycling old content. You might wonder why someone who has shared so much of his life over the last decade would keep such a significant transformation hidden. His reason? In a recent video revealing his weight loss, Nikocado said he wanted to maintain his 'villain' persona online.

In the video "Two Steps Ahead," Nikocado accused netizens of loving a villain story, and he might not be wrong. Many of us find perverse pleasure in watching others, especially those we consider as morally inferior, seemingly self-destruct. Here are two reasons behind our collective love for being online haters.

1. Schadenfreude—Pleasure From Someone Else's Pain

In the video, which has garnered over 4 million views, Nikocado refers to the internet trolls as ants who have invested in his content to watch his life fall apart. One of the primary drivers behind our fascination with figures like Nikocado Avocado is our innate tendency for social comparison.

According to a 2007 study published in the Psychological Bulletin, we are wired to constantly evaluate ourselves with others, often taking comfort when we perceive someone else as worse off. This feeling is called schadenfreude, and it is often rooted in a sense of superiority over the subject of our ridicule.

In some cases, schadenfreude can serve as a defense mechanism, allowing us to protect our self-esteem by feeling better about ourselves than others. In Nikocado's case, the more chaotic and self-destructive his behavior appeared, the better it made viewers feel about their own, probably more stable, lives.

When we envy someone's success, seeing them fail can provide a sense of emotional release. Nikocado's downfall was likely a catharsis for viewers who may have once envied his early popularity and money, only to watch in glee as his life spiraled into chaos.

2. Hate As A Social Bonding Tool

Nikocado's calling his haters ants might be more spot-on than he imagined. Beyond individual satisfaction, collective hating serves another function: it is a bonding tool within online communities.

A 2006 study published in Personal Relationships shows that sharing negative attitudes about a third party can actually help people form relationships, even romantic ones. That is why groups of viewers often gather to mock or criticize individuals like Nikocado, forming tight-knit communities of haters. Shared negativity creates a sense of unity.

The internet, with its cloak of anonymity, further amplifies this tendency. Online platforms provide a space where people can express views they might otherwise keep hidden, reinforcing group norms that revolve around shared disdain. In Nikocado's case, the community of viewers who engaged with his content formed around this shared animosity, creating a space where hatred of the creator was tolerated, even celebrated.

The pleasure we derive from watching people like Nikocado self-destruct speaks to our need for self-validation through social comparison. It is a sobering thought that we as a society might like a villain origin story more than we enjoy watching the superhero win. However, whether you love him or hate him, the controversial creator proved that the underdog can always come out on top.

Do you take pleasure in others' pain? Take this test to find out: The Schadenfreude Scale

A similar version of this article can also be found on Forbes.com, here.