It starts out sounding like a gripe, but suddenly one realizes that it is actually a symptom of a much bigger problem.

I’ve been posting online for well over twenty five years.  Back in the early 2000s my blog was even given a little prize, having been nominated for and selected as among the top personal blogs of the year by some Canadian group who was doing that sort of thing.

Blogging has waned over the years, of course, but I also am pretty active on social media. I post particularly frequently on photo sharing sites and feed, trying to build modest followings and interacting as much as I am able.

It is a trickle of what the professionals would call engagement.

A few weeks ago I ran a little experiment. I got a little political. I posted a half dozen hot takes on some controversial Canadian political topics.

I couldn’t keep up. Thousands of interactions. Tens of thousands of views per hour.

I post art and photography and carefully crafted prose and no one seems to care (insert griping comment here, huh?) but rage, anger, and combative quips spiral out of control and fire up the algorithms to their max. 

Result: Insert diagnosis of a culture that craves conflict over art here.