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How Profit-Driven Media, Social Trends, and Instant Infamy Undermine Civil Society
When a high-profile murder occurs—like the brazen, midday killing of UnitedHealth Group CEO Brian Thompson—it momentarily stops the clock on our collective routine. In this case, what’s truly staggering isn’t just the crime itself, but the widespread, unvarnished glee certain corners of the internet displayed in reaction to a man’s violent end. It’s a jolt to the system, a signpost that makes many, including writers like Adrienne LaFrance, fret about “decivilization” and our societal slide toward barbarism. Surely something’s gone terribly wrong.
Yet there’s more to it than the surging mob mentality LaFrance describes. Emotions, ideologies, and shifting political sands, yes—they all play a role. But the current state of hyper-reactivity and knee-jerk moralizing can also be traced back to something far more banal: profit-driven media ecosystems. Ours is an environment that values attention above all else, and it’s taken decades of incremental changes to bring us here.
From News to Content: The Cable News Watershed
The era of traditional newspapers was once rooted in journalism’s higher calling: reporting facts, doing investigative work, and—despite occasional sensationalism—adhering broadly to the ethics of the craft. Profit was still the goal, but more modest. Thin margins kept many outlets honest because there simply wasn’t enough money in feeding the public pure spectacle.
All that began to change with the rise of cable news networks. CNN pioneered a 24-hour format that demanded round-the-clock content. Viewers tuned in, and before long, the model wasn’t simply to inform; it was to engage, enthrall, even enrage. Running a global news operation around the clock required constant “moments” to fill the vacuum of airtime.
It meant less pure news and more commentary, opinion panels, and narrative-driven segments that bleed into entertainment. The objective: keep viewers glued to the screen, which, in turn, allows networks to sell more ads and rake in profits. Last checked, CNN was booking around $1 billion in profit—a windfall that tells us “content” works better than sober reportage.
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The Death of Newspapers and the Pressure for More
As newspapers found their advertising revenue gutted and their readership lured away by cable and, later, online platforms, they were forced to adapt. Many tried paywalls, most cut staff. With fewer reporters, limited investigative muscle, and shrinking local coverage, newspapers struggled to produce in-depth journalism.
The solution became a race toward more instantly digestible content. Sensational headlines, quick takes, and shorter pieces replaced long-read investigative stories. The traditional press found itself playing the engagement game that cable news had perfected. It was no longer just “news”; it had to be “content”—something shareable, clickable, and immediately consumable.
Merging Old Media with New Media
By the time social media platforms emerged as dominant players, the old guard found itself pressured to adapt yet again. Partnering with these platforms meant reaching bigger audiences, but at a cost. Old media outlets had to learn the language of likes, shares, and influencer culture.
And social media, in turn, leaned hard into the business model perfected by cable news: fueling constant engagement. The more divisive or emotionally charged the content, the more likely people were to interact with it. Truth became just one aspect of success, often overshadowed by how efficiently a piece could grab and hold attention.
An Economy of Attention and the Rise of the Influencer
Add to this mix a generational shift. Gen Z, immersed in the world of TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram, often aspires not just to be well-informed citizens but to achieve online fame—“influencer” status. Chris Rock once quipped that America is addicted to attention, and the recipe for obtaining it is simple: show exceptional talent, shed your clothes, or portray yourself as a victim. Whichever path you choose, the objective remains constant: stand out, go viral, get noticed.
This ethos converges perfectly with an attention-based economy. The result is a culture that celebrates “performance” over substance, instant outrage over measured analysis. People discover trending topics—be it a CEO’s murder or a scandalized political figure—then exploit that attention, regardless of their genuine interest or knowledge, to gain digital clout. Yesterday’s tragedy becomes today’s hot take, and tomorrow’s forgotten headline.
Manufacturing the Mob: Violence as Engaging Content
In this environment, the public reaction to a heinous crime can easily devolve into a spectacle. Those cheering the victim’s death might be swept up in the feeding frenzy of clicks and shares, performing for their own micro-audiences.
Outrage and cruelty can become signals, shorthand for authenticity in an era that prizes raw emotional responses as “realness.” It’s not that these people would necessarily condone murder in a one-on-one conversation, but the online stage—guided by profit-driven platforms and influencer incentives—encourages performative extremism.
What emerges is a feedback loop: the more shocking or repugnant the reaction, the more attention it garners. Media outlets cover the outrage, influencers comment on the coverage, and suddenly a morally fraught situation is reduced to trends and tags. In an earlier era, this might have been unthinkable. Now it’s just part of the cycle.
Moving On to the Next Trend
Of course, trends fade. Once Luigi Mangione, the alleged killer, is locked away—probably via an insanity plea—and the immediate frenzy around Thompson’s murder subsides, the attention merchants will look elsewhere.
The same platforms and personalities who shouted loudly yesterday will find a new cause, a fresh hot button issue to pound. The ephemeral nature of online outrage ensures that very little sticks. Yesterday’s moral crisis is tomorrow’s digital dust.
A Question of Incentives
Is America “decivilizing”? Perhaps. But this unraveling is not solely a product of ideological shifts or raw political violence. It’s also a result of the media ecosystem’s transformation into an attention economy, where the pursuit of profit has blurred the lines between news and content, truth and titillation. Cable news birthed it, newspapers tried to survive it, social media monetized it, and influencers rode it to fame.
Under these conditions, any shocking event can become prime content. The brazen murder of a CEO, accompanied by an online chorus of applause, is more than a tragedy—it’s a blinking warning light about what happens when profit and spectacle eclipse principle and truth.
Until we address the underlying incentives, we’ll keep drifting toward a world where the most outrageous reaction wins the spotlight, and the substantive value of our public discourse recedes into the background.
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