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Feeding the Algorithm: A Rebuke of the Social Media Cult of Contempt

by Ram ben Ze’ev


Feeding the Algorithm: A Rebuke of the Social Media Cult of Contempt
Feeding the Algorithm: A Rebuke of the Social Media Cult of Contempt

There was a time—not long ago—when a person’s name was their reputation, and their reputation was earned through deeds, not algorithms. Today, reputation is manufactured in the shadowy coliseum of social media, where gladiators of engagement battle for fleeting relevance, and morality is bartered for attention. We are witnessing the monetisation of cruelty.


We are not merely drifting toward collapse—we are accelerating. A recent and disturbing example involves Elon Musk’s Grok AI, a programme linked to Twitter/X that was caught generating deeply anti-Jewish, hate-filled content echoing Nazi-era tropes. Scores of users deliberately provoked the AI to respond with more venom, laughing as it produced increasingly vile posts. Though Musk later removed the content and claimed measures are being taken to limit such behaviour, the more troubling question remains: Why did so many people encourage it? What kind of society delights in feeding hate to a machine so it might reflect it back with precision and power? This is not just a technical failure—it is a spiritual one. Musk himself uses Twitter/X not as a platform for thoughtful discourse, but as a sledgehammer, wielded to mock, embarrass, and crush. And his 222 million followers—many of them disturbingly uncritical—echo and amplify his contempt with terrifying speed. We are building our destruction in public view, and we are cheering as the scaffolding goes up.


Social media, in its architecture and intention, is not neutral. It rewards the profane over the profound, outrage over insight, vulgarity over virtue. A post that seeks to uplift, to enlighten, to offer comfort or truth—these are silenced by the machine. Not by censorship, but by neglect. The algorithm quietly buries goodness while giving a megaphone to mockery, to anger, to despair. Why? Because rage sells. Because engagement metrics are the golden calf of the digital age. And those who feed it—whether knowingly or not—participate in a system designed not to elevate humanity, but to drag it into the mud.



Let us speak plainly: sharing evil does not combat evil. You are not educating others. You are not “spreading awareness.” You are amplifying darkness. You are helping it metastasise.


When you share content that shames, humiliates, or exposes sin under the banner of moral concern, you are merely laundering the evil in your own feed—and in your soul.


In the name of “commentary” and “critique,” armies of content creators rake in views by dissecting the flaws of others. On YouTube, entire channels exist for the sole purpose of ridicule. On Twitter/X, reputations are destroyed in threads woven from conjecture and mockery. On Facebook, vile images and hateful messages spread under the guise of warning the world. What are we doing? Who are we becoming?


The Torah commands:


‏לא תלך רכיל בעמך

Lo telekh rakhil be’amekha

 

Do not go about as a talebearer among your people (ויקרא י״ט:ט״ז).


This is not optional. It is not a suggestion. It is a commandment. And it extends beyond physical speech. Lashon hara (לשון הרע – evil speech) is not made holy by a share button. It is not purified because you call it “news” or “opinion.” Sharing wickedness is not a mitzvah—it is a chillul HaShem (חילול השם – a desecration of the Name).



We were warned. The Holy Zohar teaches that speech is a spiritual force. Every word either builds or destroys worlds. When our mouths—or our thumbs—spread filth, we are feeding the sitra achra (סטרא אחרא – the Other Side), the forces of impurity that seek to unseat holiness from the world. The algorithm is merely its vessel.


The irony is bitter: those who fancy themselves fighters of evil become its most effective agents. They amplify the very depravity they claim to oppose. Not only are they not stopping the fire—they are pouring oil upon it, standing back, and admiring the flames. All for likes. All for views. All for filthy gain.


We are warned again:

‏הוי מרעים לרע וטוב לטוב ישימו


Hoy merei'im lara v'tov latov yashimu


Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil (ישעיהו ה׳:כ׳).


A society that celebrates degradation and suppresses virtue is on the brink of collapse. And we are there now. Standing at the edge. Staring into the abyss of ourselves.


To those who engage in this behaviour: you are not helping. You are not educating. You are not exposing corruption. You are simply part of it. The yetzer hara (יצר הרע – evil inclination) has found a new pulpit, and it is your timeline.


If you truly care for righteousness, then delete the filth. Stop sharing. Start building. Be one of the few who choose silence over spectacle, kindness over cruelty, depth over drama.



Elevate, don’t imitate. And if you must speak—let it be to sanctify the Name of G-D, not to promote the darkness that now stalks our screens.


We are at a crossroads. Perhaps beyond one.


But teshuvah (תשובה – return) is still possible. Not by blaming the platforms, but by changing our participation in them. You choose what you spread. Choose holiness. Choose truth.


Choose silence, if need be. But do not choose evil—no matter how well it pays.


>>>> BUY ME A COFFEE <<<<


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