There are many tell-tale signs that one is being ostracised in polite society: Strangers dismissing you with a wave of a hand, people you consider as friends laughing behind your back, or more subtly, everyone gossiping about you on the Internet.

But you know you're really having issues when even Facebook is having a go at you at your expense.

Cue CPF blogger Roy Ngerng, who is being successfully sued for defamation by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong but who doesn't seem to back down.

Ngerng wrote a lengthy blog post again on Jan. 25, 2015, this time lamenting and regretting how he cannot save Singaporeans from the PAP.

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And as his latest piece is making the rounds on Facebook and showing up on people's news feeds, clicking on it will auto prompt Facebook to recommend a related article that might interest the reader.

Lo and behold -- perhaps sensing there is something really rich about Ngerng's articles/ tone/ facial expression -- Facebook's algorithm recommends the Wikipedia entry on "Messiah Complex", which is effectively diagnosing Ngerng with a mental illness.

According to Wikipedia's entry on "Messiah Complex":

A messiah complex (also known as the Christ complex or savior complex) is a state of mind in which an individual holds a belief that they are, or are destined to become, a savior. The term "messiah complex" is not addressed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), but symptoms of the disorder closely resemble those found in individuals suffering from grandiose delusions (GD) or delusions of grandeur. This form of delusional belief is most often reported in patients suffering from bipolar disorder and schizophrenia.

The same Wikipedia link also gets recommended even on Ngerng's blog's Facebook post:

It is not known exactly how Facebook's algorithm works or if different Facebook users will be served different related link results based on their interests or if the results have been manipulated, for example, someone editing the Wikipedia article to link Ngerng's blog.

We'd try to contact Facebook Singapore to see if they can shed light on how the "related link" feature works.

Related articles:

CPF blogger’s lawyer M Ravi distances himself from potentially libellous online article put out by his client and friends

Thanks to blogger Roy Ngerng, the whole world now knows PM Lee Hsien Loong’s NRIC number

PM Lee Hsien Loong replies to 30 questions on his first-ever Facebook chat moderately quickly

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