Never before in human history has the absurd been so celebrated, the ridiculous so glorified, and the meaningless so rewarded. We live in an age where shock value and absurdity have dethroned substance. To scroll through TikTok, Instagram, or YouTube Shorts is to enter a world where the stupider the act, the greater the applause. Viral fame has become the holy grail, and the path to achieving it often involves abandoning reason, taste, and authenticity.
But how did we get here? How did stupidity become the new currency of fame? How did humanity, a species capable of incredible creativity and profound thought, descend into a culture that rewards eating laundry detergent pods or staging fake, dramatic pranks for millions of views? The answer lies in a potent cocktail of psychology, technology, and cultural shifts that have upended our understanding of value and meaning.
At the heart of this transformation is the algorithm. Social media platforms thrive on engagement, and the algorithms they deploy are designed to maximize the time you spend staring at your screen. But these algorithms are not neutral. They don’t elevate content because it’s meaningful or insightful; they elevate it because it’s sticky. And nothing sticks quite like the outrageous.
Imagine this: you’re scrolling through your feed, and you come across a video of someone staging an elaborate fall in a grocery store, scattering fruit everywhere. You laugh. You’re entertained. You share it. The algorithm takes note. The next video it shows you is a prank taken a step further, maybe someone pretending to break a priceless object in a museum. Before you know it, your feed is flooded with content that grows increasingly absurd. It’s a feedback loop, one that rewards creators who push the boundaries of stupidity to keep you watching.
Shock value content appeals to something primal within us. It triggers a reaction, whether it’s laughter, disbelief, or outrage. And reactions are powerful. They’re what the algorithms crave, and they’re what creators chase. The result is a race to the bottom, where each video tries to outdo the last in its absurdity. Substance—content that might take time to create, think about, or appreciate—can’t compete. Why spend weeks crafting a thoughtful documentary or a meaningful piece of art when a 10-second clip of you doing something dumb can garner millions of views?
But the rise of this type of content doesn’t just impact the creators; it reshapes the audience as well. Over time, we become desensitized. What was shocking yesterday is mundane today, so the content must escalate. And as it escalates, our capacity to appreciate nuance, depth, and subtlety diminishes. We’re conditioned to seek the next jolt of absurdity, the next viral hit, leaving little room for the slow and the meaningful.
The cultural implications are staggering. In a world where stupidity is rewarded, intelligence is often dismissed as elitist, and thoughtful discourse is drowned out by the cacophony of shock. Young people, growing up in this environment, learn that the quickest path to recognition isn’t through hard work or creativity but through outrageous antics. And the consequences of this shift extend far beyond social media.
When stupidity becomes the norm, it seeps into other areas of life. Political discourse becomes more about soundbites and sensationalism than about policies or ideas. Entertainment prioritizes spectacle over storytelling. Even education struggles to compete with the allure of instant gratification provided by a never-ending stream of viral content.
And yet, despite the bleakness of this trend, there is hope. Humanity has always had a way of course-correcting. As much as we’re drawn to the absurd, we also crave connection, meaning, and authenticity. The same platforms that amplify stupidity also give a voice to creators who challenge the norm, who refuse to play the algorithm’s game. These are the creators who remind us that substance still matters, who show us that virality isn’t the only measure of worth.
Perhaps the antidote to this culture of absurdity isn’t to reject social media altogether but to reclaim it. To use it intentionally, to seek out content that enriches rather than numbs, to support creators who prioritize depth over shock. It won’t be easy. The algorithms are powerful, and the pull of the absurd is strong. But if enough of us make the effort, perhaps we can shift the tide.
Because ultimately, the rise of content that prioritizes shock value and absurdity over substance isn’t just a reflection of the platforms we use. It’s a reflection of us. And if we want to change the culture, we have to start by changing what we value. It’s time to ask ourselves: What do we want to celebrate? What do we want to reward? What kind of world do we want to create?
The choice is ours. Let’s choose wisely.
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