Public breakdowns once stayed private; now they fuel viral fame. But when tech platforms profit from emotional chaos, who’s really being exploited?
Britney Spears was one of the first to have her personal struggles turned into an online spectacle, her 2007 meltdown setting the stage for a new era of public scrutiny.
She tried to deal with fame privately – until the paparazzi made everything cave in and she attacked them with an umbrella and a shaved head.
These days, Britney posts steadily on Instagram with comments disabled, free from public ridicule, as she’s been thrown to the wolves on plenty of occasions.
Now, in the algorithmic era, Kanye West’s antics teeter on the edge, with antisemitic remarks and a huge aura of unpleasantness. Given that the X platform has transitioned into a “Wild West,” maybe these two elements go hand in hand.
When tech acts as a stage and an audience for madness, people are judging, shaming, and being consumed and discussed. When you see the coincidence with Elon Musk doing a Nazi salute, it seems too on-the-nose to be accidental.
It doesn’t matter if it’s deliberate and a ploy to normalize right-wing sentiment, Kanye puts himself right out there on the edge. Either way, it’s treated as entertainment, even if it’s a personal crisis.
There’s monetization of emotional chaos all over platforms: Andrew Tate thrives on toxic masculinity, Amber Heard’s accusations against Johnny Depp turned into a digital battleground, and Shia LaBeouf still faces allegations of abuse from ex-girlfriend FKA Twigs – though the online collective consciousness seems to have moved on.
LaBeouf once wore a paper bag over his head reading “I’m not famous anymore,” a stunt that blurred the line between performance and crisis. Whether it was self-sabotage or a plea for attention, it became another spectacle in the online madhouse.
There seems to be an online shaming as a form of digital exile. TikTok and X may be platforms for the public to self-diagnose, but they’re also there for de-platforming and exiling figures who use freedom of speech – or even hate speech – because their views are too extreme, or maybe because they’re going crazy.
Take Alex Jones from Infowars – his exile hasn’t erased him, but it has pushed him further into his echo chamber.
It then becomes one celebrity calling out another. In Kanye’s case, David Schwimmer rightfully called for Kanye’s removal from X after his antisemitic remarks.
Or even fans: in the case of Gina Carano, who faced a seismic backlash from the public, and was fired from The Mandalorian in 2024. Carano compared having different views in US politics to being a Jew in Nazi Germany. She is now suing Disney, and Elon is even paying for the lawsuit.
Should tech platforms themselves step in and be the guardians of mental health if someone posts content that’s mentally disturbing? Hardly likely, considering their business models profit from people showing emotional distress.
To counterbalance the amplification and outrage of a good old-fashioned meltdown, platforms have introduced wellness check-ins. Instagram offers a "Wellness Hub," while TikTok actively encourages users to vent.
Facebook promotes “community standards” to foster support within communities. X, on the other hand, lacks intervention – allowing public breakdowns, like Kanye’s, to spiral.
What I found exacerbating recently was the explosivity with which the X community went at each other regarding Sam Altman’s sister's allegations of sexual harassment. The whole community was aflame, with individuals mobbing each other. It felt like a big swirling cauldron of lunacy – a digital asylum.
Even if Kanye West’s comments are entirely deliberate and coincide with his new album – perfectly titled Bully, releasing this summer – he’s still caused outrage and used mental instability as part of his brand.
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