NEW LOW: The internet has found a way to monetize broken marriages



Marriage rates in the United States have reached historic lows. To compound matters, about one-third of Americans who say "I do" file for divorce. Watching this crisis unfold is depressing enough. Watching corporate marketers turn family dissolution into a luxury consumer category makes it darker still.

Let me be extremely clear: Some marriages are absolute disasters, full of physical violence and emotional cruelty. Escaping a truly toxic partner is a matter of self-preservation, and some people need guidance in finding the best way out.

Transforming the end of a supposedly sacred union into a curated social media event makes something solemn feel frivolous.

The problem begins when divorce itself becomes a product to brand, package, and sell, a disturbing transformation now taking hold in America and beyond.

Splitsville

A painful family breakdown now functions as online content. Unhappy spouses transform personal misery into podcasts and book deals. Sponsored Instagram posts and paid Substack subscriptions follow. What used to be a private nightmare quickly becomes a lucrative career pivot.

When a 20-year marriage ends after months of screaming matches over unpaid bills, social media feeds instantly reframe the wreckage as a fabulous spiritual awakening. Deep personal isolation gets repackaged as radical independence. Selling the family home to pay legal retainers becomes a chic minimalist aesthetic. The destruction of a household becomes definitive proof of personal growth. It’s gross, but not entirely unexpected.

In 1969, California Governor Ronald Reagan signed the nation's first no-fault divorce bill, intending to eliminate perjury and blackmail from courtroom proceedings. He later called it one of his greatest political regrets, having failed to foresee how a legal tweak would morph into a multibillion-dollar lifestyle industry. Reagan meant well, but the road to hell is paved with good intentions.

Eliminating the legal stigma of divorce was a much-needed civil reform. Nobody should be forced to endure flying fists or endless tongue-lashings just to satisfy a local pastor. Financial autonomy and genuine safety are good things. Eliminating the seriousness of divorce is an entirely different matter.

The stakes change completely when children enter the legal equation.

RELATED: Matthew Perry, child of divorce

Mike Pont/Getty Images

Kids suffer most

For a 35-year-old spouse, signing divorce papers might feel like being rescued from an active war zone. For a 6-year-old, it means packed suitcases, split holidays, and perpetual background noise from two stressed-out parents arguing over child support checks.

Longitudinal studies show that children raised in divorced households are less likely to graduate from high school and score lower on academic exams. They also show higher rates of anxiety and greater risk of suicide. Girls from broken homes also have an increased risk of teenage pregnancy, and boys are more likely to be incarcerated. Many children are resilient, that is for sure. But resilience comes from necessity, not necessarily choice. Barely keeping your head above water while running on pure adrenaline is no way to spend your formative years.

These realities make the current commercialization of family breakups feel utterly revolting. Divorce parties are at an all-time high, with Las Vegas leading the global trend for customized "single again" weekend packages complete with tailored cakes and bottle service.

Everyone remains free to live as they wish, and walking away from a destructive marriage may well justify popping champagne. The problem lies with the public broadcasting and the celebration of failure. Transforming the end of a supposedly sacred union into a curated social media event makes something solemn feel frivolous. When a major domestic tragedy becomes photogenic fodder for online engagement, it’s perfectly reasonable to raise an eyebrow (rather than a glass of bubbly).

Nothing to celebrate

We must be able to hold two simple facts in mind at the very same time. Divorce can be an essential escape route from abuse. Divorce also inflicts massive emotional and economic costs on everyone involved. Defending a person's legal freedom to walk away from a contract doesn’t require pretending that breaking up a family is a triumph.

The fundamental flaw in the modern divorce economy is not that professionals are paid to help people sort out the practical consequences when a marriage ends. Human misery has created administrative employment since ancient Rome. The problem is watching tech platforms and marketing agencies incentivize people to treat marital separation as a desirable milestone.

When a bitter custody battle goes viral on TikTok, content creators have a financial incentive to escalate the drama for their audience. Influencers build subscriber bases on continuous conflict. They turn private litigation into serialized public theater. Millions of viewers tune in every day, gradually coming to believe that ending a marriage is no different from ending a job.

This dynamic reveals a deep sickness, and the explosion of the breakup market reflects an increasingly broken society.

Marriage is far from perfect, and pretending otherwise is delusional and disingenuous. Nevertheless, it remains a vital human institution built on sacrifice and mutual duty. A husband and wife separating, even if they come to hate each other, represents a genuine tragedy. The end of a marriage calls for introspection and self-reflection, not a shameless victory lap for strangers on the internet.

ASU unveils trendy new major — it's already attracting major hate



Becoming a social media star may only cost in the neighborhood of $15,000 a year, according to Arizona State University.

With majorities of Gen Z and Gen Alpha hoping to make their way in the world as influencers or content creators, that might sound like a steal.

But the cultural blowback is immediate, with reportage in the Atlantic calling the ubiquitous figures "openly reviled."

ASU now offers a bachelor of arts in content creation, under its journalism program.

'It is absolutely incredibly important to learn how to use social media and brand yourself.'

The BA promises to teach students how to become an influencer and mass market themselves, all while earning a degree.

The new program was approved this year and says it will help students develop into "versatile storytellers" who operate "entrepreneurially as influencers as content creators."

The program seemingly prepares students for a life of freelance work/unemployment with courses like "developing media content," "information gathering," and "on-camera presence," with the promise of garnering a significant online following.

Jessica Pucci, senior associate dean at ASU's Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication, said that any content creator would benefit from the program.

"They will have demonstrable audience growth. They will have a platform of their choice with real content and real followers and a real audience behind them," Pucci told outlet Arizona's Family.

RELATED: 'Just say the right pronoun!' How one cop-cam video exemplifies the absurdity of 'hands-off' policing

Mike Windle/Getty Images

The outlet spoke to other women who praised the program, including ASU student Caroline Rowland, who described the major as an essential part of branding.

"It is absolutely incredibly important to learn how to use social media and brand yourself," Rowland said.

Anna Elizabeth, who was characterized as an Arizona-based influencer and medical assistant, said the program would certainly have helped her when she started out.

"I feel like if I had that opportunity in this time that I started doing content, I feel like it would have benefited me a whole lot."

With Elizabeth as an example of a person who isn't a full-time influencer, ASU listed other possible careers associated with the degree, such as communications specialist, marketing associate, marketing manager, and public relations manager. All of these are typical outcomes of marketing, public relations, and communications degrees.

In its mission statement, Content Creation lists "global perspectives" and "personal branding" as priorities alongside the ability to create content, preparing students for "brand content projects, media internships, and content creation trips abroad."

RELATED: INGRATE BRITAIN: 'Good Place' star Jameela Jamil calls fellow Brits 'evil,' likens them to Marvel villain

Joe Raedle/Getty Images

Courses that focus on content creation skills include topics like "how to become an influencer," podcasting, and "interpersonal influence."

According to ASU's admissions site, the degree can be earned for as little as $14,814 per year, the average tuition rate for in-state residents. For out-of-state students, that cost could rise to approximately $39,000 per year.

Other schools offer similar programs, like Graceland University's digital content creation major, as reported by the College Fix.

Another example is Grand Canyon University, a private Christian school in Arizona that offers a bachelor's in social media.

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Washington Post ‘Dear Jeff’ Letter Reminds Us How Arrogant, Entitled, And Graceless The Media Are

To the extent that anyone should care that a few people at The Washington Post are losing their jobs, it’s only to assess the reaction from their colleagues at the paper. Those colleagues just inadvertently reminded the public how delusional and detached from reality they can be, while at the same time swearing you should […]

Living through the screen: Black Rifle Coffee co-founder warns smartphones are destroying minds and memories



Over the past decade, smartphones have taken over the lives of people across the world. People no longer work, play, or even leave the house without them — and at this point, many essentially live through them.

And the consequences, Richard Ryan, co-founder of Black Rifle Coffee Company, says, may be disastrous in more ways than one.

Those who live through their phones, often as content creators, base their worth off of the feedback from others through some distant screen. But your worth is then contingent on whether or not the platform you use to post agrees with your content.

“You’re getting hundreds of millions of views, and then all of a sudden a social platform, because they disagree with you on the type of content you create, turns that off,” Ryan tells BlazeTV host Nicole Shanahan on "Back to the People."


“Your distribution is completely shut off and then all of a sudden your self-worth feels like, ‘Oh, OK,’ and you take this kind of psychological hit,” he says, noting that the youth largely makes up the content-creating portion of the population.

“I think about how many younger people work on creating content for these platforms, and there’s something to be said for when you have a large audience and you lose it in any capacity. You’re trying to chase the dragon in that it’s kind of tragic and when that social capital goes away,” he explains.

“Yeah, you hear of these really sad stories of social media TikTokers that have serious mental health issues. Some commit suicide, and they’re very young. And if you think about how much of their lives they’ve spent creating content,” Shanahan agrees solemnly.

And it’s not just that their content is subject to censorship or criticism that can prove dangerous to their psyche, but “being present in the moment.”

“You look at how many people have their phones out at every aspect of their life to record this thing,” Ryan says, noting that there “are a few studies” that broke down the way the brain stores memories.

“The event of you recording something, your brain is logging it as the phone recording the thing, not the thing itself,” he says.

“So say you’re watching fireworks or whatever, which nobody ever rewatches their Fourth of July fireworks videos after they share them to social media, but your brain’s logging it as remembering recording the fireworks and not the fireworks themselves,” he explains.

An example he uses is driving to work via the same route every single day, which your brain will not separate into different experiences unless there is variability in your commute.

“It’s the same thing with your lived experience. If your phone is always the focus of this thing, you’re kind of losing the long-term effects of storing that memory,” he says, noting that the end result could spell disaster.

“The downstream effects I think we’ll find that a lot of this will have some type of implications for memory or cognitive decline, definitely emotional atrophy and different neurological processes for sure,” he says.

Want more from Nicole Shanahan?

To enjoy more of Nicole's compelling blend of empathy, curiosity, and enlightenment, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.

‘Kid-Friendly’ No. 1 YouTube Channel MrBeast Facing Child Abuse Images Scandal

Donaldson’s brand and wealth have been built off of a squeaky-clean, family-friendly image and his ability to eschew politics and personal controversy. Over the past year, however, scandals have emerged.

Listen up, independent content creators — there's a disturbing new trend in social media that you need to know about



Big tech censorship is ramping up as the 2024 presidential election gets closer, and Glenn Beck is concerned what this means for independent content creators.

“We have been witnessing a very disturbing trend in social media. Lately, the giants of Silicon Valley are attempting to control the narrative and dictate what information you have access to by punishing people like me, or perhaps like you, for wrong think,” he says.

Glenn believes this is a “blatant assault on your freedom of speech,” and they’re using him as an example.

Last week, Glenn’s team discovered that Apple had rated everything in his Apple podcast library as explicit content — even though his radio program is FCC-regulated.

However, after a discussion with Apple, it will remove the explicit label within a couple of business days.

“They will take a couple of days and correct this,” Glenn explains, calling the tactic “soft censorship.”

In addition, Facebook is making shadow-banning a company policy now. For those unfamiliar with the term, shadow-banning refers to blocking a content creator from a social media platform or online forum but not informing them that they've been blocked. That usually means their content — posts and comments — are no longer visible to users.

“They’re just rounding up everybody that disagrees with the government, and they just put them in this little digital ghetto,” Glenn says. “There’s a wall around it; well, they can speak all they want, but nobody’s going to hear them.”

Apparently, Facebook will be shadow-banning all political content — but Glenn isn’t sure what qualifies as political content to Meta.

“I’d like to know what Facebook considers to be political content. Is advertising LGBTQ issues to kids considered political? I bet not. How about content on the benefits of abortion — is that political?” he asks.

To learn more about these new policies affecting social media content creators, watch the clip below.


Want more from Glenn Beck?

To enjoy more of Glenn’s masterful storytelling, thought-provoking analysis, and uncanny ability to make sense of the chaos, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.

A DIRE WARNING for independent content creators on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, & Facebook
play icon

A DIRE WARNING for independent content creators on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, & Facebook

Our Cultural Surrender To Screens Has Bred An Entirely Unserious Generation

One gauge of our decline is the vanishing of public intellectuals and a swelling number of wired celebrities, influencers, and pitchmen.

Whitlock: ‘Content as Queen’ is destroying mankind



We think we’re living in the age of content creators. We’re not. We’re living in the age of content destroyers.

We weaponized smartphones, arming them with social media platforms that turned IBM’s invention into a weapon of mass destruction. Women and children are being slaughtered first.

Pardon the generalization, but women and children desire attention the way men crave sex. Studies suggest men think about sex 19 times a day, or about as many times as women check Instagram for likes.

IG is the internet holy ground for attention and whores. Women seek attention and men hunt for whores. Bikinis and yoga pants are the lowest common denominator that tie men and women together on Instagram.

Facebook and Twitter rely on debauchery and criminal activity. Women are the “queen pins” of the social media dopamine epidemic. They sell dopamine hits on every internet corner.

Darnella Frazier is the dopamine GOAT. She recorded the George Floyd video, and America’s journalistic institutions made her a hero for doing so, awarding her a Pulitzer Prize for content that inspired mass destruction.

I’m not villainizing Darnella Frazier. She captured the final nine minutes of George Floyd’s 46 years on this earth. Her video told a tiny percentage of what led to Floyd’s death. It provided a distorted image of Floyd and Derek Chauvin. It provoked emotion, chaos, and division far more than it revealed truth.

That’s what content destroyers do. They unwittingly create distorted content that leads to destruction.

Young girls experience gender dysphoria at an alarming rate in modern America. They’re suffering depression at rates much higher than previous generations. We shouldn’t be surprised. They stare at their smartphones all day, swiping past pictures of seemingly perfectly sculpted women having the time of their lives, and they wonder why they don’t look like that or live like that. It’s all an illusion created by volunteer content destroyers.

The peer pressure to experiment with sex at ages 6, 7, and 8 is unprecedented. The pressure is driven by the sexualized content fueling the social media apps in our smartphones.

Last week, a state senator from Rhode Island, Tiara Mack, released a TikTok video of herself wearing a bikini, standing on her head, and twerking. Mack’s mission in life and politics is to teach young kids about sexuality and gender. She’s unapologetically black and queer. She wants to recruit more people to her way of life.

Credit Mack for having a life mission. Most content destroyers just want attention by any means necessary.

This week, a woman was captured on video climbing through a McDonald’s drive-through window to fix her own food because the employees said they couldn’t because they ran out of gloves. The woman obviously did not record herself. But her motive is clear. She wants attention.

That is the goal in life: attention. We’ve developed a generation with no higher calling or purpose than the seeking of attention and fame. Individual "Truman Shows." Everybody – women and men – wants to be the next Kim Kardashian. We spend every moment wondering if what we’re doing is worthy of a selfie, a tweet, an IG, or Facebook post.

Self-arazzi is more dangerous and damaging than paparazzi.

Three women vandalized a late-night french-fry restaurant in New York last week as a crowd of mostly men recorded them. Media reports claimed the drunken women were angered when an employee charged them $1.25 for a dipping sauce.

I don’t buy it. Drunk actions are sober thoughts. The women wanted attention. Videotaped debauchery and criminal activity are easy ways to get it. The women channeled their inner Tiara Mack.

Here’s the worst example.

On Wednesday, prosecutors in Philadelphia charged a 14-year-old girl with third-degree murder in the beating death of James Lambert, a 73-year-old man. Surveillance cameras captured a group of kids chasing and beating Lambert at 3 a.m. A 14-year-old boy was charged in the murder earlier this week.

According to media reports, Lambert asked the kids why they were out so late at night. Police said one of the young girls involved in the attack handed her cellphone to a 10-year-old boy and asked the child to record the attack on Lambert.

We’re obsessed with creating content. We’ve created content destroyers.

Smartphones and social media apps cultivate a deadly cultural narcissism. It’s impossible to love and respect others when you focus all of your attention on loving and admiring yourself. Modern culture baits us to see ourselves as individual gods. We self-worship at the churches we construct on Twitter, TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and Snapchat.

The children who videotaped themselves stoning and beating James Lambert to death reflect the values of our time, the culture we’ve cultivated. They’re as narcissistic as our leaders, our educators, our celebrities. They remind me of Sarah Lopez, the pro-abortion witness who testified before the House Oversight Committee on Wednesday.

Lopez called abortion an “act of self love.”

The content culture destroys women and children, which means it destroys mankind.