Is the World Quietly Profiting From Your Shame?

Dr. Eleanor Vance · 2026-10-11

Have you ever felt that knot in your stomach after posting something online? That split-second of panic when you realize a comment or a photo might be judged by thousands? You're not alone. And according to philosopher Jack Russell Weinstein and data scientist Cathy O'Neil, that discomfort is big business. On a recent episode of *Why? Philosophical Discussions About Everyday Life*, the two sat down to unpack a question that hits close to home: Are social media platforms and corporations making money off our public shame? The answer, it turns out, is a complicated yes. ### The Economics of Humiliation We tend to think of shame as a personal emotion, something we feel in private. But online, shame is a spectator sport. Every viral call-out, every embarrassing moment turned meme, generates clicks, shares, and ad revenue. O'Neil, author of *Weapons of Math Destruction*, points out that the algorithms driving our feeds aren't designed to make us feel good. They're designed to keep us engaged. And nothing keeps us engaged like a little drama. > "Shame is a feature, not a bug, of the attention economy," O'Neil suggests. When we pile on someone for a misstep, we're not just venting—we're feeding a machine that profits from our outrage. But it's not just about individual posts. Corporations have learned to weaponize our insecurities too. Ever notice how ads seem to know exactly what you're self-conscious about? That's not a coincidence. It's consumer manipulation, fine-tuned by data. ### The Illusion of Privacy Think about the last time you signed up for a new app or service. Did you read the terms and conditions? Probably not. Most of us don't. But buried in that legalese is permission for companies to collect, analyze, and monetize our behavior. Every like, every pause, every late-night scroll is data. And that data is used to sell us things—often things that promise to fix the very insecurities the platforms helped amplify. - **Targeted ads** prey on our fears of not being good enough. - **Engagement metrics** reward controversy over kindness. - **Public shaming** becomes a form of entertainment, with real people as the punchline. It's a cycle that's hard to break, especially when the systems are designed to be addictive. ### So, Is It Immoral? That's the big question Weinstein and O'Neil wrestle with. On one hand, you could argue that people choose to participate in social media. No one forces us to post. But on the other hand, the playing field isn't level. The companies behind these platforms have teams of psychologists and data scientists optimizing for our attention. They know our weaknesses better than we do. O'Neil doesn't offer easy answers, but she does suggest that awareness is the first step. When we recognize that our shame is being commodified, we can start to push back. That might mean logging off more often, being mindful of what we share, or demanding better regulation of tech companies. ### What Can We Do? You don't have to delete all your accounts and move to a cabin in the woods (though the thought is tempting). But you can take small, meaningful steps: - **Curate your feed.** Unfollow accounts that make you feel bad about yourself. - **Think before you share.** Ask yourself: Am I adding to the noise or the value? - **Support ethical tech.** Seek out platforms that prioritize user well-being over engagement at any cost. - **Talk about it.** Conversations like the one on *Why?* help normalize the idea that we're not crazy for feeling uneasy about all this. At the end of the day, the world may be profiting from shame, but that doesn't mean we have to accept it. By staying informed and making conscious choices, we can reclaim a bit of our humanity in a digital world that often feels anything but.