Social media rewards the most provocative opinions, creating “take inflation”: users escalate extreme claims until online popularity appears to reflect broad public approval. Adam Serwer argues that this dynamic, once a problem for Democrats, now distorts Republican politics. After Elon Musk took over Twitter and turned it into X, the platform amplified racist and misogynist ideas. Conservative politicians and influencers increasingly tailored their behavior to an audience that rewards outrage, mistaking engagement for votes. That misreading helps explain why Republicans were blindsided by major midterm losses, despite online confidence in a red wave and claims that voters welcomed harsh deportation rhetoric or dismissed affordability concerns.
Campaign examples show how online tactics can backfire with ordinary voters. Texas Republican Bo French drew attention by portraying South Asian students as evidence that Americans were being displaced; Ohio gubernatorial nominee Vivek Ramaswamy aired an attack on Democrat Amy Acton that Trump and other Republicans defended, but that made Ramaswamy seem cruel beyond X’s “containment zone.” Republicans lost races after leaning on bigotry and inflammatory messaging, while Texas voters elected a statewide slate of women, including the state’s first Black House speaker and first Hispanic woman governor. Serwer cautions that X can still normalize far-right views and skew elite judgment. He also links the attention-first mindset to a Trump administration more focused on viral performances and the appearance of success than on competent policy, citing officials’ online antics amid failures in their departments.
Summary generated by AI from the linked article. hn.today is not affiliated with Hacker News or Y Combinator.
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