I don't think Facebook really works this way. People get impassioned, sure, but I don't think the platform generates it. Compare this to something like Twitter,

I don't think Facebook really works this way. People get impassioned, sure, but I don't think the platform generates it. Compare this to something like Twitter, a machine deliberately devised to maximize outrage and fights, where the top trending content is almost always clapbacks and 'mic-drop' put-downs. It's a curiosity that they don't get any of the blame for "destroying democracy", while Facebook takes all of it. My suspicion is that journalists use Twitter more, and enjoy their audience and aura of authority they get through the Verified system, so they have an incentive to protect the platform against regulatory action.