We live in a time where outrage is currency. Social media feeds us headlines designed to spark emotion, arguments, and clicks. The more heated we get, the more the algorithm wins. But here’s the truth: not every headline deserves your peace.

Parasocial Relationships and the Illusion of Intimacy

With the rise of social media, we’ve been conditioned to believe we know public figures, whether they’re reality TV contestants, influencers, or celebrities. These parasocial relationships create a false sense of intimacy, giving us the illusion that we’re entitled to their innermost thoughts, private choices, and moral compass.

Take Big Brother season 27 as an example. Contestants like Rylie, Katherine, Vince Panaro, and Morgan Pope were suddenly subject to intense scrutiny. Viewers decided it wasn’t enough to critique their gameplay; they had to cast sweeping judgments on their personal lives. Rylie’s interactions with Katherine and the chemistry between Vince and Morgan sparked outrage online, with audiences questioning their relationships outside the house.

But here’s the thing: these contestants may have entertained us for a summer, but they don’t owe us access to their private lives once the cameras stop rolling. They don’t need to answer every question or defend every decision. Their lives belong to them—not to us, and not to the algorithm.

The Trap of Virtue Signaling

We see this same phenomenon outside reality TV. Virtue signaling has become a cultural pastime, especially in political spaces. The Left, in particular, often demands allegiance to whichever cause is trending this week. If you don’t post the right hashtag or voice support for the right movement, you’re labeled as indifferent, uninformed, or even complicit.

But life is far more complex than a trending hashtag. The reality is that most people are doing their best to be “good” within the framework of their personal belief systems. For me, my framework comes from the Bible. And the Bible is clear: no one is truly good. That’s why the sacrifice of Jesus was necessary for all of us, regardless of how well we perform on the stage of public opinion.

Choosing Peace Over Reactivity

The problem with outrage culture is that it keeps us reactive. We jump from headline to headline, argument to argument, as if every story is ours to solve, every person is ours to judge. The more we feed this cycle, the more we lose our ability to live intentionally.

So here’s my challenge: put your phone down. Stop reacting to every headline. Ask yourself whether adding your judgment to the pile actually helps or harms. Instead, choose peace. Choose to live a life that creates more good than harm, not by performing for an online audience, but by quietly and faithfully serving in your real world.

Because the algorithm of outrage doesn’t care about your soul. But Jesus does