Sometimes I find myself asking…
Sometimes I find myself asking that question: “Why can’t we all just get along?”
Conspiracy theory? Or…
Here’s how it really works. Outrage isn’t an accident anymore. It’s a business model. And a lot of powerful people get paid when you and your neighbor hate each other.
Who profits when we fight
Media outlets and talking heads don’t get rich when you’re calm. They get rich when you’re glued to the screen, mad or scared, yelling at the TV or the phone, so they feed you the stories that spike your blood pressure.
Politicians and activists cash in too. Grievance politics keeps their followers angry, loyal, and donating, so they never have to actually fix anything—they just point at a new enemy and pass the hat again.
How the algorithms lock it in
On the tech side, the game is simple: if it keeps you scrolling, it wins. Engagement‑based algorithms boost the posts that trigger the strongest emotions—rage, disgust, fear—because those are the ones you’ll watch twice and share with a comment like “Can you believe this?”
That’s why your feed is full of rage‑bait: a 10‑second clip of a screaming protester, a border video with ominous music, a school board meltdown with no context. You don’t know the whole story, but you feel something—and that feeling is what the machine is really after.
What it does to us
Live in that environment long enough and everything becomes “us vs. them.” Studies are finding that constant exposure to polarizing, hateful content ramps up partisan animosity and can spill over into real‑world threats and violence.
People end up in echo chambers where the other side looks insane or evil, and “getting along” starts to feel like weakness or betrayal instead of basic sanity.
So what’s really going on?
So no, it’s not just “why can’t we all get along.” The better question is: who needs us not to get along? Who makes money, wins elections, and grows their brand every time we take the bait and go to war with each other online?
Because while you’re sitting there, scrolling and arguing, the algorithms are counting every second. Someone is profiting somewhere off your time.
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