Social Media Rage Machine

From the U.S. president to the average American, our social media posts are more divisive than ever. Politicians, celebrities, and everyday folk are duking it out online.

It’s trendy to be divisive, indignant, and outraged. The comment section is something like a gladiator arena. Enter at your own risk—and don’t forget your boxing gloves!

However, be warned that sparring with others over controversial posts cues social media platforms to send more rage-inducing content your way. An internal Facebook presentation in 2018 revealed that its algorithms “exploit the human brain’s attraction to divisiveness.”

A TikTok creator confessed, “Nothing has made as much sense to me as rage baiting. My TikToks with the most views are all about like controversial topics or things that got people talking.”

One article explains, “Algorithms usually promote emotionally provocative or controversial material by focusing on metrics such as likes and shares, creating feedback loops that amplify polarising narratives.” Another states, “Enragement equals engagement, equals more ads, equals more shareholder value.”

Our feeds are minefields, and we are exploding.

In the age of rage, have you taken the bait?

The Rage Economy

Jesus warned, “The love of many will grow cold” (Matthew 24:12). The temperature online feels downright frigid, even among Christians. An article titled The Outrage Machine by therapist Matt Hussey is insightful. He believes “we are living through the full-scale industrialization of outrage.”

Hussey elaborates, “In 2025, rage isn’t just a reaction, it’s a revenue engine. What started as innocent clickbait in the early days of the internet has evolved into something far more calculated: rage bait or the deliberate crafting of content to provoke hate, fear, and fury for clicks, comments, shares, and, ultimately, cold hard cash. … This approach leans on psychological truths we all feel: the pull of negative headlines, the rush of seeing others ignited, the addictive jolt of dopamine when furious comments flood in. As one researcher described rage farming, it’s the act of ‘planting seeds’ of anger designed to harvest even more outrage in replies and retweets.”

Scripture reveals that we are “by nature children of wrath” (Ephesians 2:3), which helps explain our deplorable behavior. Yet, God’s Word never excuses the cruel treatment of others. Hussey says, “When rage is harvested daily, it doesn’t fade, it calcifies. Prolonged exposure to rage bait creates what psychologists describe as chronic anger: a state where emotional reactivity becomes the norm, not the exception.”

Thus, we become slaves to rage, fueling the machine, enriching the architects

The Real Enemy

Even those who don’t like, share, or comment on incendiary conversations are often reading them, mentally taking sides, and having the same experiences as those directly involved.

The Christian should be careful not to indulge hateful thoughts and feelings toward others. Jesus said, “Whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. And whoever says … ‘You fool!’ shall be in danger of hell fire” (Matthew 5:22).

And again, we are told, “Whoever hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him” (1 John 3:15).

Divisive content isn’t something to take pleasure in (Romans 1:32). Its frequent consumption changes us (2 Corinthians 3:18). Hussey warns, “Anger spreads like a virus—one that lowers our empathy thresholds, diminishes our tolerance for ambiguity, and creates an ‘us vs. them’ mindset that turns fellow citizens into abstract enemies.”

For the Christian, other humans are not the enemy, “for we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 6:12).

Before we can constructively engage in the age of rage with others online, we must stop seeing them as the enemy. They are precious souls for whom Christ died—individuals attacked, manipulated, and oppressed by the Prince of Darkness.

A Biblical Approach

How can we safely navigate the social media minefield without harming ourselves or others?

Three principles can be gleaned from a single Bible verse: “Let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath” (James 1:19).

1. Swift to Hear

Be cautious when commenting on topics that you know little about. Try to understand them first. More importantly, take time to learn an individual’s perspective. No one likes to be misunderstood. We can learn volumes by listening to others and sincerely trying to understand them. This shows mutual respect and can reveal common ground to work from. “He who answers a matter before he hears it, it is folly and shame to him” (Proverbs 18:13).

2. Slow to Speak

Have you ever noticed how some people talk past each other online? Each eagerly seeking to drive home their points while ignoring what the other is saying. This never goes well for anyone involved, often raising the hackles of both parties. It’s vital to think and consider how our words might land before we comment. If we have been swift to hear, it will help us respond appropriately. Remember, “A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger” (Proverbs 15:1).

3. Slow to Wrath

We all have topics we’re passionate about, but that doesn’t make it okay to lose our cool. One of God’s primary characteristics is that He is “slow to anger” (Jonah 4:2). Aren’t you grateful He is patient with you? He promises to help us have the same loving patience with others (Galatians 5:22–24). Claim His promise when tempted to lose control. “A wrathful man stirs up strife, but he who is slow to anger allays contention” (Proverbs 15:18).

Jesus calls Christians “the light of the world” (Matthew 5:14). That means we are to reflect His light to those we meet, either in person or online. When we fail to act according to biblical principles, we bring darkness instead. It is possible, even necessary, to stand for truth while being kind and considerate to others.

Learn more about standing for what’s right from Pastor Doug’s free book, Compromise, Conformity, and Courage.