Outrage; It’s what short-form media thrives on.

The revelation of being able to earn money and, in many cases, earn a living from a practice that is centred around the strategic cropping of the edges around reality, while showcasing it to millions of individuals, has caused a whirlwind of benefits and fatalities that no one could have predicted. The construction of the ‘content creator‘ career appears to be one of the many methods in which the pursuit for money and profit overtakes authenticity, one’s sense of self, and alienates the individual from the work they create, benefiting the rich and powerful by placing an illusory ‘broken ceiling’ of financial freedom and power above the individual. At first glance, this might appear counterintuitive, as content creators, in most cases, are in control of what they create, work from home, and are self-employed. However, it is the equivalence between the person and the brand in which the alienation occurs. If I’m working for Nike, I am in a way associated with the brand; a lot of my working day may centre around the values of that company, whereas in social media, often you, as an individual, are responsible for cultivating and maintaining the essence of the brand; you and the brand become synonymous. And when you assume the form of a brand, you are reduced to existing as a product.

When you assume the form of a brand, you are reduced to existing as a product

In product manager Marty Cagan’s book, Inspired, he speaks about how one should obsess over the customer, knowing they define the success of a product. Many of us are familiar with terms such as ‘filling a gap in the market’ or ‘supply and demand.’ And, albeit from my deeply uneconomic brain, these principles appear to be the driving forces of economic endeavours. To shamelessly reference a Reddit post (@chefsslaad), after research, the writer defines a product using three principles: it A: fulfils a need; B: is transformed in some way, and C: is valuable to the customer.

So, the Jojo Siwa ‘product’, or the Bonnie Blue ‘product’ exists to fulfil a need in the consumer that they consider of value, and a product that is willing to adapt and mold around the needs of the consumer. When it is an insentient product, such as the Nike trainer, being molded to fit the needs of the consumer, the harm caused is minimal. But when it is ascribed to a person, it is as if the person/product is enslaved to their audience, their life governed by the needs of the consumer.

When it is ascribed to a person, it is as if the person/product is enslaved to their audience

The next question is: What is the gap in the market? What value are these people providing that is otherwise missing from the consumer’s lives? This is where outrage comes back into the picture. I think the gap in the market, so to speak, is in the audience’s yearning for emotional expression; we want to feel something. Today, it is not difficult to notice a particular pervasiveness of individuals feeling powerless or small in an insurmountable, hierarchical world; a world where our actions or emotions feel as if they make no difference, and our voice is silent. On social media, we are brought together where millions of people can know our opinion with the click of a button.

In a Channel 4 documentary, the adult content creator Bonnie Blue (real name Tia Billinger) revealed that she will post content on social media that she knows will outrage viewers, specifically women. For example, one video had the caption, “I bet some of the women whose marriages I’ve ruined would like to get me in the ring.” And these ‘rage bait’ videos are always the ones that get the most views, bringing her face to the forefront, whether on our phones or in conversation, or even in student magazine articles, meaning she receives more limelight, more subscribers to her adult content platforms, and more money. At the end of the documentary, it takes a melancholy turn, revealing that she has lost a lot of her friends due to her lifestyle. Billinger is a clever, entrepreneurial woman; she knows what she’s doing, and she does it for the love of the game. She knows ‘Bonnie Blue’s Bang Bus Tour’ or ‘Bonnie Blue’s Petting Zoo’ will get her more attention, so she does it, at all expenses, to her reputation or otherwise.

These ‘rage bait’ videos are always the ones that get the most views

While working in a completely different sphere, the Dance Moms star, singer and dancer Jojo Siwa (real name Joelle Joanie Siwa) has been playing the same game for years. Jojo has been in the public eye since she was 10 years old. Until 2024, Siwa had faded from the public eye and needed something to keep the money coming. The solution: controversy. Most of us will remember moments such as “Dream guest on my podcast?”, “I want to start a new genre of music … It’s called gay pop.”, and her songs ‘Karma’s a Bitch’ and ‘Bette Davis Eyes.’ Her jarring and constant rebrands from bright colours to KISS-inspired looks, to more traditional looks, annoys internet users people, and she knows it. She revealed in an interview about the viral ‘Karma’s a Bitch’ dance, where she dances erratically and exaggeratedly, that she posted that version of the dance on purpose, because she knew people wouldn’t like it, getting her more views, and well, she was right. Many people who have watched Siwa online may say they’re unhappy with things she’s said or done, or dislike her content, but like Bonnie Blue, she’s getting the money, so who cares?

So next time you interact with something on social media that provokes a particularly emotional reaction in you, ask yourself whether it was created, produced and posted to provoke exactly that response.

Image: Anna Tarazevich via pexels