Lately in life, I’ve realised I’ve stepped into an era of more diplomacy. And it’s made me reflect on some things…
Outrage is the cheapest currency on the internet. It asks nothing of us except a side to stand on, and it pays out instantly in belonging and certainty. Every algorithm knows this, and so does every brand that has grown fast by giving its audience something or someone to oppose.
Diplomacy pays out slowly, if at all, at least at first. It asks us to remain in the discomfort of two truths at once, to feel the pull toward one camp and stay put anyway. That is an art, and like any art it is learned in the body long before it shows up in our words.
Why tension sells
I understand the appeal of polarisation as a strategy, because it works. Content charged with moral and emotional language travels further and faster than content that is measured. A clear enemy gives an audience something to gather around. A sharp edge gets shared. If you want to grow quickly, drawing a line in the sand and inviting people to stand on your side of it is one of the most reliable tactics there is.
It offers people three things at once: clarity about what is right, a tribe to belong to, and a target for whatever frustration they are already carrying. That is a powerful bundle. It feels like conviction. Very often it is relief.
What happens in the nervous system
Disagreement registers in the body as a kind of threat. When we encounter a view that unsettles us, the nervous system mobilises, and it wants that charge resolved as quickly as possible. We have a few familiar exits. We can fight, attacking the other position until it shrinks. We can flee, disengaging, unfollowing, closing the tab. Or we can collapse, abandoning our own view to make the discomfort stop.
Picking a side is the fastest way to discharge the tension. The moment we decide who is right and who is wrong, the body settles. Polarised content offers that discharge over and over, and in doing so it trains us. Each cycle rewards the quick resolution and makes the middle ground feel more intolerable. Over time, our capacity to stay with complexity narrows.