---
title: "Twitter depends on advertising revenue, so they reward whatever keeps..."
date: 2025-07-21
source: facebook
type: comment
context: "Chris Brunner's post"
fb_link: "https://www.facebook.com/dyi/l/?l=AYN9oisGQM5VyWTZEypOOIKcYS7GBdNlM3lunYIt5F1Z9eXo19c9VStwmWPtXa91RLlcKm229pAGKzo-aWAthGgm3jWfW3DBvEQfTrz-LInYcB90ZLF_r6jpPb0LwrI2u6lpV0uo5C5iCOZ7pPVg5pO5dCJaails1DzRckIFh90kh8LN8gEprCqLM_YEAW4ZTgq4Tk8zRDg&s=519"
---

# Twitter depends on advertising revenue, so they reward whatever keeps...

*July 21, 2025 — Comment Chris Brunner's post*

Twitter depends on advertising revenue, so they reward whatever keeps eyeballs on the platform.  Stupid, irrational, mean-spirited hot takes provoke anger, which in turn causes people to spend time on the site rebutting those takes.  Same goes for Facebook. Substack, on the other hand, derives revenue from subscriptions. People typically only subscribe to people they really like, so the posts tend to be much more  thoughtful, kind, and reasonable. So, if you want more upbeat posts, spend more time on Substack. Humans also have a systematic bias towards pessimism.  Yet, by almost every objective measure (crime rates, poverty rates, war, etc) , humans are doing better now than they have at any time in history.  Follow the Human Progress blog if you want more optimistic takes on humanity. https://www.facebook.com/HumanProgress.org