Sharon McMahon, a social media influencer and podcaster known for tackling political misinformation, dives into the complexities of partisanship and the monetization of hate. She discusses how social media fuels division and why people seek certainty in an uncertain world. McMahon also offers news hygiene tips to help navigate today’s media landscape and highlights the exhaustion felt by the majority craving connection over polarization. This insightful discussion sheds light on community dynamics and the importance of understanding diverse viewpoints.
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insights INSIGHT
Profitability of Hate Content
The internet rewards inflammatory content with likes and shares, creating a dopamine-driven reward cycle.
This incentivizes further polarization and hate speech online due to financial gains.
insights INSIGHT
Dark Money and Media Manipulation
Billionaires fund hate content to control the media landscape and influence elections.
This manipulation aims to dominate the American electorate by promoting specific political positions.
insights INSIGHT
Certainty and Conspiracy Theories
The human brain craves certainty, especially when overwhelmed with information.
This craving can lead to accepting conspiracy theories as the brain fills in uncertainty with desired beliefs.
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In this book, Neil Postman argues that the contemporary world is more akin to Aldous Huxley's 'Brave New World' than George Orwell's '1984'. Postman contends that television's emphasis on entertainment has led to a decline in rational discourse and the trivialization of politics, education, and religion. He contrasts the print-based culture of the 19th century with the televisual culture of the 20th century, highlighting how the medium of television inherently promotes incoherence and triviality, turning serious information into a form of entertainment.
The Righteous Mind
Why Good People Are Divided by Politics and Religion
Jonathan Haidt
In this book, Jonathan Haidt draws on twenty-five years of research on moral psychology to explain why people's moral judgments are driven by intuition rather than reason. He introduces the Moral Foundations Theory, which posits that human morality is based on six foundations: care/harm, fairness/cheating, loyalty/betrayal, authority/subversion, sanctity/degradation, and liberty/oppression. Haidt argues that liberals tend to focus on the care/harm and fairness/cheating foundations, while conservatives draw on all six. The book also explores how morality binds and blinds people, leading to social cohesion but also to conflicts. Haidt aims to promote understanding and civility by highlighting the commonalities and differences in moral intuitions across political spectra.
12 Unsung Americans Who Changed the Course of History
Sharon McMahon
Sharon McMahon, also known as @SharonSaySo on Instagram, explains the business model behind the monetization of hate and how that's driving division. She discusses why some people crave certainty and how that grows churches and platforms. And Sharon shares her news hygiene recommendations so you can read the news and not lose your mind.
Plus, Sharon McMahon shares why she believes the majority of people are exhausted and are craving something other than more polarization.
This episode is part 7 of the Pastoring in a Partisan Age series.
YOU can bring this mission focus to YOUR church, and then watch God use YOUR church to impact the world. I encourage you to connect with my friends at Compassion - find out more at www.compassion.com/carey.
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The Carey Nieuwhof Leadership Podcast 
