“There’s no such thing as bad publicity” is a well-known saying that holds especially true in the face of today’s social media, whether it is the staging of fights or the creation of false narratives. Numerous people have used these to generate more likes, clicks, and ultimately, attention. This “clout chasing” mentality of doing something purely for attention has led many people to lives that feel empty and meaningless, while influencing more to follow suit. Others have found success and continue to chase, stepping up the insanity of prior actions, often not only at the expense of their own mental health, but to the physical detriment of others in the process. These “clout chasing” creators have built their fame through intentional controversy and drama at the cost of those around them, creating a toxic, harmful form of media while attracting thousands of haters, allowing them to ride a wave of bad publicity to success, but is this success worth the tradeoffs?

     Throughout the years, multiple people have achieved opportunities that many can only dream of, whether that is the essence of wealth, thousands tracking your every move like you are a god, or your sheer popularity being the convincing factor, and although many have these characteristics, some have obtained them in the more “sinister means” of clout chasing. Two celebrities who share many similarities are Jake Paul, a professional boxer, influencer, and actor, and David Dobrik, an internet personality, streamer, and vlogger. Both of them had risen to fame on the now-defunct social media platform Vine, and after this, they expanded their audience on YouTube, where they would continue to influence many more. They both rose to popularity and continue to coast on their dramatic actions, whether that’s Paul’s ideas of blackface, his loud political opinions, his troubled history, or even being ranked just above his brother as the #1 most disliked influencer in a Business Insider survey. Or possibly it was the rise of Dobrik’s “Vlog Squad” that would pressure people into unsafe and uncomfortable situations, often prioritizing “entertainment” over safety and consent. This led to numerous members being pinned with sexual assault allegations, while he continues to utilize this same formula to milk real-life reactions. Both make the ordinary larger than life, engineering their world as entertainment and a business, no matter the cost. 

     This “manosphere” of toxic creators perpetuates more than just their own money and fame; they still have a heavy influence on those they encounter, including impressionable and uneducated minds. This makes the popular “podcast” media archetype extremely harmful. Although it can be entertaining, it is time to look into the more serious side effects of figures such as Andrew Tate, Joe Rogan, Theo Von, and Elon Musk hotboxing in a studio and hitting the record button. Many won’t give them any attention, while others will believe them as though they are delivering profound wisdom; either way, it is concerning that they have weighed in on both political and scientific dilemmas with little to no experience on the matter, and that these diluted guesses made in an echo-chamber of injected testosterone are changing the perspectives of both voting and developing minds. 

     Although these “role models” represent such a small percentage of those whose sole objective is fame, no matter the cost. “Clout chasing,” as it is called, however, isn’t inherently evil; doing something for superficial attention can be a powerful motivator when used correctly and can lead to self-defined success. It becomes an issue when greed feeds it, creating people like Dobrik or Paul who negatively impact others. Platforms in general shouldn’t be available to these creators who perpetuate these experiences and hate as a career. Still, the entertainment industry and its viewers continue to contribute to the viability of this approach, as long as attention is provided by people like you and me, whether positive or negative, they are still benefiting from it. Society needs to evolve past this continuous cycle of hating if it truly wants to fix this “whoever can be a worse person” system.