The Viral Critique Playbook
We know the script:
1. Someone posts a justifiable dunk on a patronizing comment (“You’re so brave!”/“I could never pull that off!”)
2. Thousands cheer
3. Rinse and repeat
This isn’t about blame. It’s about how our digital ecosystem trains us to mistake outrage for action - and why that serves systems, not solidarity.
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Why Even the Most Intentional Among Us Can Get Stuck Here
1. Algorithmic Conscription
→ Platforms reward quick, visceral reactions over slow, systemic critique
→ Creators are surviving an attention economy designed to exploit their labor
2. The Bait-and-Switch of Awareness
→ Calling out harm feels like resistance (and sometimes is!)
→ But when the likes fade, the power structures remain intact
→ Calling out the individual acts of harm without naming systemic harm normalizes the individual harm even further.
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This isn’t moral failure - it’s mathematical inevitability under engagement capitalism.
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A Different Kind of Resistance
For those feeling trapped in the cycle: consider what piece of systemic context could anchor your next critique.
The goal isn’t perfection - it’s noticing the pattern.