Digital Resilience and Human-Technology Interaction in a Bani Context: The Impact of Social Media on Psychological Functioning in Military Environments

In contemporary environments defined by brittleness, anxiety, nonlinearity, and incomprehensibility (BANI), digital technologies increasingly shape human cognition and emotional functioning. Social media platforms operate as high-intensity informational ecosystems where both civilians and military personnel are continuously exposed to algorithmically curated, emotionally salient content. Digital exposure thus emerges as a critical, yet underexamined, factor influencing psychological resilience in operational settings. This paper presents a narrative literature review addressing the following central research question: how does exposure to social media “memeplexes”—i.e., clusters of rapidly disseminated and reinforcing digital content—contribute to the amplification of key BANI dimensions, notably anxiety and incomprehensibility, as well as influence psychological functioning and resilience within military contexts? This review focuses primarily on information overload, anxiety amplification, and maladaptive coping mechanisms, while also considering the role of upward social comparison. This paper further examines how these effects intersect with cognitive functioning, decision-making, and operational effectiveness in military contexts. By situating these processes within a broader civilian and military context, this work ultimately argues that shared digital environments expose military personnel to the same destabilizing influences as civilians. These findings highlight the need for targeted interventions and digital resilience strategies aimed at preserving adaptive functioning and sustained performance in increasingly complex environments.