When Harm is Rewarded: Understanding the Structures Behind Viral Sympathy
By Lucky Star, Responsible AI | Blockchain Educator & Consultant
[May 5, 2025] — In recent weeks, international audiences have witnessed a striking example of how harm can be publicly rewarded. While the details vary by case, the pattern is familiar: an emotionally charged narrative spreads quickly, financial support follows, and public sympathy is directed not toward those most affected—but toward those most visible.
This is not a matter of opinion. It is a matter of structure.
Certain types of behavior continue to be rewarded because they align with longstanding cultural expectations—expectations shaped by media, platform algorithms, and deeply encoded social memory. These narratives tend to favor familiarity over fairness. Stories that reinforce comforting ideas about who deserves empathy and who poses a threat often receive amplification regardless of the facts.
This is not unique to any one country. Similar dynamics play out globally. But the challenge in addressing them lies in their subtlety. The harm is often indirect, the systems that support it appear neutral, and the outcomes—however uneven—are framed as accidental.
Why This Persists
Incentive Design:
- Platforms reward emotional visibility, not accuracy. As a result, narratives that trigger quick reactions—especially those aligned with dominant cultural scripts—gain disproportionate reach.
Cultural Comfort Zones:
- Certain emotional displays (grief, fear, innocence) are more readily accepted depending on who is expressing them, and under what circumstances.
Institutional Familiarity:
- Decision-makers in media and philanthropy often default to what feels recognizable, unintentionally reinforcing the same patterns.
These are not failures of individual morality. They are outcomes of institutional frameworks—repeated decisions made over time, producing consistent results.
What the Global Community Can Do
Support the Under-Amplified
- Direct resources and visibility toward people and organizations working on these issues from within affected communities. Avoid reward models based on spectacle or conflict.
Develop Local Media Literacy
- Build awareness within your own context of how emotional narratives are received. Who gets the benefit of the doubt? Who is asked to prove harm? Who is made to disappear?
Call for Transparent Platform Governance
- Advocate for policies that make algorithmic and moderation decisions more visible. Without transparency, biased amplification remains hidden behind technical language.
Make Space for Multiple Realities
- Not all people within a system are complicit. Many are actively working to address inequities, often without recognition. Acknowledging their work is crucial.
Final Thoughts
The viral reward of harmful or misleading narratives is not simply a crisis of content—it reflects systems designed to prioritize familiarity over fairness. Recognizing this is the first step in changing it. These dynamics are global. The opportunity to shift them is also global.