To maximize revenue you need to maximize the number of ads people see. To maximize the number of ads people see, you maximize the amount of time people spend on

To maximize revenue you need to maximize the number of ads people see. To maximize the number of ads people see, you maximize the amount of time people spend on the platform. To maximize the time people spend on the platform you need highly engaging content. The cheapest form of highly engaging content is mostly composted of clickbaits, polarizing news, disinformation, conspiracy theories, etc. And when people spend most of their time with this kind of content, they tend to lose the ability to engage with serious, thoughtful, reasoned, informed, and nuanced content, first because it's hard to find and second because it requires genuine effort to consume.