. . . they wanted me to use their site instead of my blog.

The recruiter asked for a video conference and was shocked when I told her that I don't want to monetize.

Several people (including a few friends privately) that the MSNBC outrage has gotten worse.

I offered this theory: During the Trump era these networks thrived because there was an easy target for outrage.

Since then, they've had to rely on baseless rage-inducing speculation.

2/

I think another part is that individuals can monetize so easily.

I remember when I discovered Twitter analytics: It showed me that when I said something disparaging about Trump, my engagement went up.

I was appalled and never looked at Twitter Analytics again.

So many factors in this new world of media encourage posts that outrage people or confirm their biases.

3/

I just wrote a book on Disinformation and included the election lies, so I don't say this lightly, but both of these tear at the fabric of a democracy:

(1) disinformation and misinformation
(2) the kind of outrage and fury that exacerbates polarization.

Unfortunately, both of those are profit driven.

maybe that should be next week's blog posts and I take off the rest of the week 😉

I spent an absurd amount of time writing this week's post because I knew I was going against the current.

4/

@Teri_Kanefield: Based on how confrontational so much of social media has become, it seems like a lot of people are willfully ignorant about the rage industry and the use of disinformation. If they'd read your book, it could help them see how they are being manipulated for profit.

I noticed that you turned off comments on your latest blog post. I'm sorry it got so nasty when you were just trying to explain what actually happened while dispelling the conspiracy theories propagated by those doing hot takes.

If it helps at all, there are a lot of us (like me) who very much appreciate your thoughtful explanations.