Seventh International Conference on Communication & Media Studies

Abstract

The idea of growing moral anger on the Internet brings us to Evgeni Morozov’s article “Moral panic over fake news eats the real enemy - the digital giants” from 2017. The danger of digital capitalism and the production of fake and click-neighborly stories seems to be becoming more real. The new media are turning the consent industry into a hazardous model for anger production. Instead of the promised discussion space and a “digital agora” to support the development of democracy, the Internet creates angry people and polarizes opinions. Angry people click more is the working business model of online media and social networks in the new digital capitalism. One proof of the lack of action in this regard is the revelations of former Facebook employee Frances Haugen. In an interview with 60 Minutes, she claims that Facebook benefits from angry, polarizing, and dividing content: “The mission of Facebook is to connect people around the world. When you have a system that you know can be hacked with anger, it’s easier to provoke anger in people. Users say to themselves, “If I make more angry, polarizing, dividing content, I get more money. Facebook has created a system of incentives that divides people.”