This isn't particularly surprising. Some folks like attention, and giving them attention for something they are doing, results in them doing that thing more. So

This isn't particularly surprising. Some folks like attention, and giving them attention for something they are doing, results in them doing that thing more. Social media simply taps into that dopamine loop in order to sell page views and ad clicks. Perhaps the saddest testament to this was a troll who was banned from Twitter and told a journalist "I feel like I don't exist anymore." That is a really awful place to end up. It is also an unhealthy place to be.