MK

Character is gone, because eccentricity is harder to duplicate and sell in bulk.

For one, social-media operators discovered that the more emotionally charged the content, the better it spread across its users’ networks.

But connection as a primary purpose has declined. Think of the change like this: In the social-networking era, the connections were essential, driving both content creation and consumption. But the social-media era seeks the thinnest, most soluble connections possible, just enough to allow the content to flow.

It’s only on platforms where controversy and drama are prioritized for driving engagement where we’re rewarded for despising each other.

Here we see a really pivotal moment of change, when art must become something that does not make people uncomfortable, so that they will spend money. The kind of person who is expected to consume art is transformed in the mind of the producer. The people who might very possibly love being expanded by what they see are never given the chance.