@abundance

from first principles, content has value not because it has millions of views but because it actually benefits people. one can create addictive content that is harmful to people yet has millions of views. I'm not even talking about some outliers. it's precisely this perverse incentive to create content based on its expected virality (regardless of the benefit to people) that's making much of social media toxic, polarizes society, and creates a Crisis of Trust in media and institutions. At the same time, I don't expect those who see an opportunity to make a profit on this to take such criticism to heart. As Sinclair wrote, "It is difficult to get a man to understand something when his salary depends upon his not understanding it"

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