Why Social Media Guarantees Celebrity Controversy

10. Controversy as the New Metric of Social Media Engagement
For the social media algorithms that govern the visibility of all content, controversy is simply a superior form of engagement. Outrage, debate, and moral scolding generate more comments, shares, and time spent on platform than positive, mundane posts. Since the platforms incentivize content that keeps users scrolling, the system inherently favors the sensational and the divisive. Celebrities, knowingly or not, feed this beast; by engaging with or creating a controversy, they receive a huge algorithmic boost, ensuring their name remains a trending topic, which in turn reinforces the cycle of perpetual digital drama.