It “drives engagement.” Sex sells has given way to rage sells. Piss people off, get them involved in a pointless internet debate, push that dopamine button in your brain because you’re right and that asshole is wrong and this is why, and boom, another social media addict. Oh hey what’s this, a funny meme? Sure I’ll click that and maybe reply in that thread too…
It’s super effective.
Justas@sh.itjust.works 1 year ago
I remember seeing some mean comments on my country’s subreddit about how bad the country is, only to discover that the poster of those comments seemed to live in three places at once and shitting on all of them.
Garden_Ramsay@sh.itjust.works 1 year ago
That happened all the time in my smallish city sub I used to frequent. It was small enough crap like that would get banned quickly. You’d just find them stirring every hot topic pot you could find in every city sub for our state and also like 5 other states, just 24/7 “arguing” aka spouting talking points or hit and run posts. Then occasionally a random post in /r/mlb
limelight79@lemm.ee 1 year ago
The Washington DC sub always had people who very likely had nothing to do with the city at all. Especially when there were demonstrations going on.
But that can happen here on Lemmy too. It may not have yet, but if it attracts enough attention it will.