This is also true of TV, print, and other non-social medias - and that seems to be under commented on HN. Has existed for longer and I believe started this dow

This is also true of TV, print, and other non-social medias - and that seems to be under commented on HN. Has existed for longer and I believe started this downhill trajectory, perhaps created the 'tinder' if you will. They too do it for the engagement/ratings. Rupert Murdoch's empire as a prime cause creating an alternate reality solely because it made his media the #1 most watched news network, print, etc. They've even argued in court themselves that any 'normal' person wouldn't take their 'news' seriously. Take Tucker Carlson's early videos as another example of this gross negligence; he's an actor saying what gets views no matter his actual beliefs are.