Research

The more extreme a post is, the more likely it is to go viral.

This isn’t just speculation anymore - it’s a pattern baked into the design of most social platforms.

In the age of algorithmic feeds, virality is no longer tied strictly to follower count. Instead, posts that spark reactions - likes, shares, replies — are surfaced to more people. This means content that provokes strong emotions tends to travel farther, regardless of nuance or accuracy.

As a result, posts that are polarizing, absolute, or extreme often outperform those that are cautious or balanced.

The Escalation Effect

Let’s use a simple text example from a platform like X/Twitter, starting from mild and escalating in intensity:

I think some politicians are bad

Some politicians are bad

Politicians are very bad people, no exceptions

Politicians are the worst people of earth

If all politicians were to die, the world would be a better place

If all politicians were to d*e, the world would be a better place

While these all express a similar opinion, their tone and framing vary drastically. And that difference affects how much attention they’re likely to get — and whether they violate platform rules.

How Tone Impacts Engagement

This would drive very different virality on social media:

A dangerous path

This illustrates a key dynamic: the more emotionally extreme the content, the more reach it can generate — even (or especially) when it’s offensive or risky. This creates an incentive loop:

More outrage → More engagement → More reach → More incentive to post outrage

Over time, this feedback loop rewards increasingly provocative content — not necessarily what’s true, useful, or constructive.