Digital Capitalism and the Commodification of Hatred

For several years now, we have been witnessing the ever-growing spread of hatred within the realm of social media. What was meant to be a platform for sharing ideas, connecting, and communicating has unfortunately transformed into fertile ground for human degradation. Individuals who, on the surface, lead ordinary lives with regular social interactions, morph into fierce purveyors of hatred, insults, and intolerance on social media, participating in a form of psychological and media-driven stoning of unprecedented in scale.

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Regrettably, this hatred has become a valuable commodity. While political parties, religious groups, and social organizations exploit the consequences of this hatred to amass support and approval, the underlying causes of this phenomenon are a complex mix of human psychology and economic motivations.

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Hatred, first and foremost, is an intrinsic response of human nature, a reaction to what we perceive as a threat and danger. However, it has now become a commercial asset capable of generating substantial profits. We cannot ignore the fact that social media, seemingly lawless territories where anything goes, are run by private companies with one singular objective: to maximize their earnings. It is no surprise then that despite hatred reaching proportions that lead us to speak of a digital civil war, the actions taken by the companies overseeing social media increasingly lean towards deregulation and impunity, even for severe transgressions. Thus, it should not astonish us that despite hatred having become a social issue of such gravity as to warrant the label of a "digital civil war," the actions of the companies responsible for social media are increasingly directed toward deregulation and impunity for actions that elsewhere would be considered grave.

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Hatred is a gold mine for these corporations. It generates reactions, clicks, increases traffic, and provides visibility, all of which can be monetized. A hateful post triggers hundreds of thousands of reactions, some in approval, others in disgust, forcing users to take a stand, forming alliances against what they perceive as threats to their values and freedom. This polarization further feeds the perception of a threat and amplifies the reaction in favor of or against the inciting positions that highlight this division.

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As society responds with increasing division and aggressiveness, these posts generate economic wealth, increase the number of interactions, climb the visibility charts, extend the time spent online, and encourage users to become increasingly engaged. The result is an unprecedented flow of revenue, to the extent that regulation becomes economically counterproductive at a time when the social media market is one of the most profitable in the world.

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From a capitalist perspective, banning hatred is akin to prohibiting sugar in carbonated beverages or the sale of alcohol and tobacco; it is in direct conflict with commercial interests. The social media industry hides behind the façade of individual freedom, but its sole aim is to avoid actions that could harm its economic interests.

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The ignorance of users regarding the harms to which they are exposed plays into the hands of these digital giants. At present, there is a lack of long-term studies on the effects of exposure to social media, both physical, mental, and social. However, we can compare this situation to the one where parents were advised to give cigarettes to their children without fully understanding the future consequences.

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We cannot help but acknowledge that there will be social costs, consequences, and significant impacts on healthcare services and society in the coming decades. Digital capitalism and hatred represent a dangerous combination that requires serious and informed action. Only through regulation and greater public awareness can we hope to mitigate the escalation of this digital hatred while preserving the health and stability of our society.