The anxiety machine: How individual rationality creates collective panic
YogeshMalik · x · 2026-08-15
The author dissects the feedback loop of the "anxiety machine": increased uncertainty leads to more doom content, which heightens perceived uncertainty and anxiety, driving coping consumption and revenue, which in turn fuels more content.
The key insight is that while all participants (creators, platforms, advertisers, audience) act rationally in their own interests (engagement, retention, attention, relief), their collective actions inadvertently sustain the anxiety machine.
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