The Tabloids Won: Why We Trust Rage Bait Over The Truth

⏱ Estimated Read Time: 2 minutes

Ew. The tabloids won. I don’t know when this happened, but it definitely did. There’s been this subtle, insidious shift. It used to be that you’d only see tabloids at the grocery store checkout—racks full of goofy papers and magazines with headlines like “Goat DNA Found in LeBron James’ Sweat!” or “Bill Clinton Exposed as an Alien!” or “Toddler Sues Parents for Changing Diapers Without Consent!” These were so ridiculous that you wouldn’t think anything of them. Maybe they’d make you chuckle, and you’d just move on, thinking, “Yo, that’s crazy.” And that was that.

But now? Now everyone is sharing tabloid headlines. Everyone is getting bent out of shape over rage-bait headlines where you read them and think, “Hold on, what are you even talking about?” Or you’d check the source and realize, “Dude, that’s a tabloid!” At some point, somewhere along the line, the tabloids won. A part of me wonders if it’s just because my old self is surrounded by other “boomers” who share this stuff, making me question if my brain is decomposing. Or is this truly a chronic staple of society right now?

I wonder if Trump really won the war by relentlessly repeating “fake news, fake news, fake news” so often that everyone just shrugged and said, “Yeah, all news is fake!” But ironically, those wild tabloid headlines? Those are suddenly treated as real. Or maybe it’s podcasters, or people like me making videos who go digging on Reddit for weird news and oddities, then bring those topics to light. All of a sudden, everyone thinks, “See? Other people are talking about it, so it must be true!” But at some point, you just have to shake your head in disbelief. How did we get to the point where the truth is what people attack with skepticism, while these tabloid headlines are presented as gospel? If you question them, you’re a sheep, you’re lost, you don’t know what’s good, and you’re a victim of some mind virus.

What’s even wilder is that you can make billions of dollars by buying systems and websites to help propagate such propaganda. You get to feel mighty about yourself, make tons of money, and ride the wave of misinformation. We used to have a system that wasn’t great, and maybe it needed to be broken. But what we have in its place now is a complete oddity, a new beast entirely. I don’t know. Anyway, let me know what you guys think. Till the next one.

View On:

updated_at 20-11-2025
Ai Disclosure: The above posts were transcribed using AI tools. Some language may not have been accurately transcribed.
Ai Header Image Prompt: Abstract digital art with a blend of contemporary surrealism and graphic illustration, featuring high quality and high level of detail. The image centers on a contemplative Sikh individual, clearly identifiable by their meticulously rendered turban (dastar), viewed from a thoughtful distance as they observe a chaotic and overwhelming torrent of fragmented information. This torrent takes the form of distorted, garish, and aggressively colored headlines and images, reminiscent of sensationalist tabloids and digital rage-bait, swirling and dissolving around them like a pervasive digital current. Elements of data streams, subtle glitches, and glowing, fractured pixels are interwoven throughout the scene, emphasizing the online propagation of misinformation. The color palette is vibrant and clashing, with lurid reds, fiery oranges, and acid yellows battling against cooler, distorted blues and purples, creating a sense of tension and unease. The overall composition should convey a feeling of personal observation, bewilderment, and quiet questioning at the erosion of truth. The style should avoid any overtly AI-generated look, focusing on artistic expression and intricate visual storytelling, ensuring appropriate depiction of any human elements without being hyper-realistic.