Don't let OpenClaw steal your independent thinking: A psychological disaster preparedness manual for Web3 users.

Written by: Max.S

Recently, most circles, including Web3, have been overrun by "red lobsters." Open Twitter or delve into various online communities, and you'll see an explosive growth of AI agents similar to Claw, all claiming to "let AI autonomously take over computer tasks." This has certainly caught the eye of many, but it has also made many others feel uneasy.

In a world where competition is fierce across all industries, many practitioners, faced with an overwhelming deluge of AI information and tools, don't feel the relief that comes with tool upgrades. Instead, it's like "drinking seawater"—the more they drink, the thirstier they become. The more they are exposed to the sheer volume of AI information and tools, the more confused, suffocated, and anxious they feel.

As AI developer @yetone bluntly stated on social media: "I am extremely disgusted by FOMO, which has plunged the entire society into a huge bipolar disorder: either extremely elated, believing that humans have become gods; or extremely depressed, feeling that humans are dead."

We are now at the eye of this storm of "manic episodes." AI anxiety is no longer exclusive to programmers or tech giants; it has become a widespread psychological problem in the digital society. I will attempt to delve into the psychological roots behind the frenzy of "raising lobsters online" and propose a set of "anti-consensus" coping strategies.

Decision fatigue: "Copying homework" to avoid thinking.

Why would people so easily relinquish sensitive permissions for so many software programs to an unknown AI agent? This is not simply a matter of technological fanaticism, but rather a collapse of a collective psychological defense mechanism.

Modern brains are already overloaded. Globalization and 24/7 digital living expose us to high-pressure, fast-paced information bombardment every day, causing severe "self-depletion" of our brains. Faced with a constant stream of new technologies, new concepts, and new workplace demands, our decision-making abilities are already exhausted.

The psychological phenomenon of decision fatigue perfectly explains this. When tools like OpenClaw, which claim to "handle everything," appeared, they were like the last straw a drowning person grasped at. Many people followed suit and deployed them not to solve real work problems, but to escape thinking.

"If others install it, I'll install it too"—isn't that just copying homework? It's convenient and doesn't require any brainpower. But this behavior of using "tactical diligence" to cover up "strategic laziness" actually exacerbates deep-seated anxiety—watching the computer on and the tools running, while the brain completely "crashes" due to information overload.

Group identity and pathological FOMO: the backlash of tribal genes

Humans are social animals, and the ancient instinct of "staying with the tribe for safety" is amplified to an extreme in Web3 community culture. When your WeChat Moments, WeChat groups, and even various online communities are filled with screenshots of AI agent deployments, FOMO is no longer just about the desire for wealth, but about the fear of "social death."

What you're truly anxious about might not be "Will AI take my job?" but rather "If I don't follow the trend, I'll be labeled as outdated and ostracized from my current circle." This herd mentality, which sacrifices rationality for "group security," turns society into a giant echo chamber, amplifying the panic caused by uncertainty.

Furthermore, AI agents (such as OpenClaw) are essentially a huge "black box." What exactly are their decision-making criteria? We simply cannot fully understand their internal logic.

A strong cognitive dissonance arises when you try to use a highly centralized, unexplainable AI black box to process your most sensitive personal assets, privacy data, and career decisions.

This psychological rift, triggered by the disruption of our fundamental belief in control over our lives, directly undermines our sense of self-efficacy. What follows is a real-life security nightmare: privacy breaches, exorbitant bills, even system hacking—these real threats make anxiety utterly tangible.

AI anxiety is a physiological discomfort brought about by technological development. We cannot completely eliminate it, but we can learn to manage it. We need to establish a scientific defense and counterattack mechanism from three aspects: cognition, behavior, and self-positioning.

When faced with fervor, the most effective psychological intervention is to force yourself to calm down.

24–48 Hour Cool-Off Period: When the next "lobster"-level app goes viral, don't immediately open your terminal to start coding. Force yourself to stop and calm down for 24 to 48 hours. Ask yourself a soul-searching question: If no one posts about this on social media, will I still use it?

Break free from information cocoons and proactively seek out FUD: Algorithms constantly push content that makes you FOMO (Fear, Uncertainty, Doubt). You need to actively search for the "vulnerabilities," "complaints," and "security risks" of this AI product. Use rational FUD to combat blind herd euphoria and regain control of independent thinking.

Instead of spreading anxiety among others in the group, it's better to seek answers directly from the source of the anxiety.

Viewing AI as a source of psychological support and a collaborative partner: In this technological revolution, a Web3 community builder provided an excellent example. While other members were frantically deploying AI, he directly asked the AI, "What should I do if I have AI anxiety?" The AI's answer was remarkably objective: "Maintain your own pace and trust your own judgment." This "using magic to defeat magic" interaction not only shattered the mystique surrounding AI but also subconsciously established the psychological positioning of "I am the leader, and AI is the assistant."

Take small, quick steps and reject grand narratives: Don't try to understand the underlying logic of all large models. Break down your workflow and find the smallest pain points. For example, only let AI help you summarize long reports or write simple smart contract test cases. Gradually rebuild your sense of self-efficacy in the AI ​​era through small but certain successes.

Redefining the personal moat: From "knowing how to prompt" to "knowing how to build trust"

This is the core strategy for mitigating the threat of job displacement. It involves shifting the focus from "what AI can do" to "what AI cannot do."

Deepen your understanding of "human soft skills" that AI cannot calculate: AI can instantly write tens of thousands of words of project analysis, but it cannot soothe a team's emotions during a crisis; it cannot build trust with a single glance at an offline gathering; and it cannot make judgments based on human morality and intuition on a highly controversial business decision. Emotional intelligence, empathy, and the ability to navigate complex interpersonal relationships and political maneuvering will be the ultimate, inalienable advantages for modern professionals.

In terms of cognitive resilience, we need to extend the historical perspective beyond our immediate 15-minute view and use a broader historical perspective to dilute the current cognitive overload. History tells us that when the steam engine or electricity first became widespread, it was initially accompanied by extreme panic and a bubble. Technology is indeed reshaping productivity, but extreme binary views like "humanity is dead" or "humanity has become godlike" are merely noise of the times. Only when the bubble bursts will truly killer applications materialize.

The best trend is to be yourself.

At this historical turning point where "software is shifting from scarcity to abundance," cognitive overload and near-manic social emotions are the growing pains of our time. But remember, blindly following the trend and deploying a Red Lobster will not make you a pioneer of the times; it will only turn you into a "zombie" providing computing power and data.

AI is a lever of the times, but the fulcrum is always your own independent judgment and core mindset. Next time anxiety surges like the sea, try turning off the screen, taking a deep breath, and telling yourself: more important than keeping up with the times is not losing yourself.

As an author from the Web3 industry, I understand more deeply than anyone else the extreme insecurity caused by the alternating torment of FUD and FOMO. In a world where "code is law," we know better than anyone the cost of "Don't Trust, Verify." The cognitive dissonance brought about by AI becomes particularly acute under the "trustlessness" belief of Web3.

Therefore, I would like to say to my colleagues: surviving in a highly competitive market and maintaining a healthy mindset are more important than seizing every fleeting wave of AI. Shifting our focus from "AI will replace me" to "What trust crisis has AI brought about?" and addressing these crises is our moat in the Web3 world.