When it comes to influencing, what sells? According to NYU professor Scott Galloway, sex used to be the primary way to grab people’s attention, but today it’s something different: RAGE. Interestingly, getting people worked up not only draws them to content, but also keeps them there, and according to Galloway this is especially appealing to young men. Endless loops of negativity, anger, and outrage keep people coming back for more—great news for advertisers competing for your attention, but what are the consequences for our mental health and for a society kept in a constant state of agitation? Not only does the rage portrayed online rarely match reality, it also leads to serious mental health consequences, including mood and anxiety issues, and may lead some individuals to become more vulnerable to harmful and dangerous behavioral acts toward others.
Why does rage sell?
Even if you are not in advertising, it’s probably not too difficult to see why sex sells based on primitive, biological drives, but what is it about rage makes us act in similar ways? And why are we so easily manipulated by rage — even when we are shown clear, demonstrable evidence that what we just consumed online was deeply distorted, if not entirely made up? And what does it say about us that getting people to hate one another is actually a useful tool when looking to peddle goods and services?
There are no simple answers to the questions just posed, but by Galloway identifying the effects of rage on influence, it allows us to look at ourselves more critically and objectively — and hopefully begin to make corrections where needed. For example, as you go clicking away today, take note of how often you are prompted to divide, hate, and blame ________ for all your troubles. How does actively seeking rage help your day? Do you feel better after consuming rage? Does it lead to better emotional states, and healthier interactions with others? Does rage consumption help you become more open-minded, learn about others, and consider new ways of thinking? How does starting your day by hating a person or group help you grow in any meaningful ways? While Galloway might be right that rage sells, it is up to us as consumers of rage to look more deeply at what rage-baiting does to us psychologically to our mental health, and to stop consuming content that stunts our development and creates artificial hate toward others.
There are countless healthy and fun ways to use the internet, but actively seeking rage content is not one of them. When we consume this kind of information day after day, unhealthy thinking and behaviors develop over time, as does our world view. While these changes occur, we tend to seek more content that confirms our biases (confirmation bias), and we spend more time interacting with other exact like-minded people. This constant reinforcement impacts our world view, and it is all manipulated by folks who know they can throw out just about any angry and/or outlandish claim and that their audience will be there ready and waiting.
I believe Galloway has identified a growing problem that desperately needs attention, an issue that lives freely on the internet with virtually no policing of any kind. Increasingly more podcasters are realizing that solid, accurate content doesn’t sell nearly like it would if it were salacious, and so they are incentivized (monetarily) to push truth to the farthest boundary — if not disregard it altogether. Why not flat-out lie and use rage at every turn? There doesn’t appear to be any penalty for doing so, and in all likelihood you will soon generate a following of other angry people looking to point their frustrations toward someone or some thing. Sure, the podcaster makes money and the advertisers see a spike in sales from this artificial rage, but how does it make you feel? What benefits does it provide to you? Do you think this kind of daily pattern of tuning into anger helps — or hurts — your mental health?
Final thoughts
Rage certainly sells, especially online where there isn’t much policing, and the goal is to get you to click and stay on specific webpages that make a lot of money keeping you pissed off. They (the podcasters and advertisers) win, but do you? While it might feel cathartic in the moment to hate on the same people that your favorite podcaster tells you to hate, there is also very serious, psychological damage that can occur when coping with human stress in this fashion. Instead, step outside, take a walk, enjoy the company of positive people in your life, and serve as a role model to others for better mental health and life outcomes. Yes, rage sells, but it only sells if we let it.
drstankovich.com
