Too much drama

Our media and information ecosystem isn’t optimized for truth. Or for helping us understand the world better. Or for calm. It’s optimized for engagement.

And what gets the most engagement? Drama.

Just think about it: which headline do you think gets more clicks—“Man landed on the moon” or “Man did not land on the moon”? It’s obviously the second one. It’s more provocative. It stirs doubt. It’s not about truth; it’s about traction.

Drama gets attention. Attention gets clicks. Clicks make money.

And because of that, everything we see—on social media, on the news, even in casual conversation—feels dialed up to 11.

And the media cycles? They move fast. Tweets are flying every second. Hot takes drop every hour. Our grandparents might have heard one juicy piece of juicy gossip a year in their village. Now we get multiple scandals a day, from all over the world. The rate of drama has skyrocketed.

And that has consequences.

A society built on drama isn’t a thoughtful one. It doesn’t seek truth. It doesn’t lead to competence, calm or clarity. It doesn’t make us better. We’ve seen it in reality TV, where chaos is the point. And we’re seeing it in politics, where performance matters more than policy. 

It wears us out. Constant conflict and outrage fray our nerves, divide our communities, and flatten our attention spans. We lose the ability to think deeply, relate kindly, or even care consistently. It’s no surprise our world feels more anxious, more divided, and less grounded than ever. 

So what would better media look like? It would be built with intention to make our lives and minds better; not just harvest us for attention. It would reward relevance, truth, depth, and real quality. It would make us more curious and intelligent. It would slow things down, restore balance, and respect our time and minds. It would promote connection, kindness, and love. It would still tell stories and be interesting—because we’re wired for that—but without twisting the truth or burning us out. It would aim higher, appealing to the best in us, not just our most primal instincts.

The question is: in a world addicted to drama, could it actually win?

Popular posts from this blog

You are the average of 5000 idiots on the Internet

They used to say you're the average of the five people you spend the most time with. That was before the internet hijacked your attention span and filled your brain with digital sludge. Today, your closest companions aren’t friends, mentors, or thoughtful voices. They're algorithmically boosted, attention-seeking strangers yelling into the Internet void—clickbait journalists, TikTok dancers, Twitter thinkbois, clout-chasing grifters, promiscuous influencers, silly comedy Reelers, and conspiracy-peddling uncles in WhatsApp group chats. In short: idiots. And the worst part? They’re shaping you. Your brain—like an AI model—is plastic. Moldable. Continuously trained on whatever data you feed it. And right now, you’re feeding it junk. Doomscroll long enough and you’re not just consuming idiocy—you’re becoming it. Look at your feed. Really look. Out-of-context quotes. Shallow outrage. Celebrity gossip no one will remember in 48 hours. Fake experts selling fake solutions. Outrage bai...
Continue reading »

Ask and inspire, don’t demand or command

Most capable and healthy people enjoy their autonomy and boundaries - a way to exercise their own way of being and creativity. It tends to bring out their best and make them feel good. Conversely, most people have a visceral reaction to domination and authority.  Demanding and commanding may be apt when the situation is dire and answer is somewhat clear; like during a war. Or with a low-trust and low-agency audience where you have some leverage, power, or authority.  But in most cases, asking and influencing well will have higher ceiling and longer-term outcomes. It’s also more pleasant for everyone involved. “If you want to build a ship, don’t drum up people to collect wood and don’t assign them tasks and work, but rather teach them to long for the endless immensity of the sea.”
Continue reading »

It’s mostly vibes

Why do you like people or music instantly — and not others? You didn’t do a structured analysis. You didn’t create a pros-cons list. You just felt something click — and that was that. The same goes for cities, coffee shops, relationships, products, and even presidents. Why Brad Pitt over Chris Evans? Why Tokyo over Paris? Toyota or Mercedes? Claude or GPT? Why does one place feel like home and another feel… off? When I asked a sales lead for our B2B software what makes us win or lose a customer, I expected to hear about features, pricing, or buyer personas. But he shrugged and said, “Honestly, it mostly comes down to whether product managers or execs are on the call.” There’s a pattern here. And it isn’t logic. Most of us pretend we live like Spock, but we make decisions like jazz musicians — improvisational, intuitive, all feeling. From friends to lovers, brands to beliefs, the throughline in our choices isn’t reason. It’s resonance . It’s mostly vibes. “Vibes” is the best word w...
Continue reading »