What makes us do what we do?

Dear NTNRML,

A recent YouTube video showed a man being extremely rude, sexually explicit, and disruptive at a large retail store.

He eventually had to be escorted out by the manager.

He filmed the whole time.

Making sexual comments about the manager’s wife to egg him into more conflict.

The more “trouble” he got into, the more drama he created, the more juicy content he captured for his “funny” video.

It was all a win for this YouTuber (and by extension, YouTube).

Why would this weak-minded, soft, morally corrupt excuse-for-a-human go to the trouble and the discomfort of creating such a scene in a retail store that is trying to bring him nearly unlimited products any time he wants them at a great price?

Ok, a selection of 65 flavors of soda is not unlimited, but it is pretty close!

Perverse incentives motivated this bizarre, anti-social behavior.

Our incentive structures are all wrong.

This is why.

The need to secure attention-grabbing and catchy content on social media platforms has turned us into a society that exploits our worst impulses for “views”—Fear, worry, lust, greed, hate, anger, disgust, crassness, drama, extremism, etc.

Those making countless videos like this are wreaking havoc in their little world of influence with no accountability, no cost, and no negative consequences.

It’s all upside.

The worse the disruption to other’s lives, the better for the content creator.

Is there not anyone willing to say, "Enough!"

The Problem with Incentives

Our media incentive system is understandable and it’s a mess.

The relentless pursuit of attention and profit has led people and platforms to prioritize anything that produces more views.

The endless YouTuber social stunts show the consequences of prioritizing profit over everything else.

Negativity, baseness, and chaos. Consider a recent incident with an obnoxious YouTuber disrupting a whole store for views and engagement, leaving other shoppers annoyed and the manager stressed.

Platforms profited from this chaos.

The store and the shoppers did not.

How many shoppers are willing to go back to that same store if they think there is a chance this same attention-seeking idiot will be there causing problems again?

But there's another way. What if social platforms celebrated those who inspire, educate, and spread goodness?

Their business may be smaller, true. But is that such a problem?

The ripple effect would be immediate.

1. Cultivating Positivity: By highlighting uplifting and inspiring content, we can foster a culture that values positivity and creativity.

2. Building a Better World One Person at a Time: Prioritizing positive content allows for a world where collaboration, creation, and innovation are rewarded.

3. Redefine Success: Positivity and goodness can also bring financial success. Some audiences crave meaningful content, and they just might be the ones who can pay for things too.

Would it be such a loss if the people who consume the worst and lowest forms of content had less to watch? I say no.

My Conclusion

Incentive structures drive behavior, and it's time for a change.

One person at a time.

The platforms will never change.

They could, but they won’t because their incentives are screwed up too!

They need to produce a profit each quarter!

There is no other metric used to define success except for the formula of attention>views>watchtime>clicks>ad revenue.

There is no metric used to calculate the unpriced externalities of all the negativity this content and the creation of this content produces.

If there was a way to capture the negativity quotient of these mispriced incentives that create unpriced externalities behavior could change.

But as long as the incentives are in place, idiots like this YouTuber I described will continue to create disruptions and conflict.

There is only one thing to do.

Choose creativity and goodness as our path forward.

Now for a little fun:

Give this a thumbs up if you think people causing chaos for views (who are freely benefiting by offloading the cost of producing those views onto the individuals who are the unwitting participants of their video experiments) need to be (metaphorically) punched in the nose.

Cheers,

Ben “I know it’s not the normal view but that’s why you are here” Richardson

p.s. If you want to be part of a network of people willing to do things differently, take a look at this. If you ever feel like you don’t fit the mold, you might feel like you’ve found a home. Check out NTNRML. For those who see things differently.

p.p.s. See what others like you are up to at NTNRML.

/