Fear as a Business Model

Shoutout to Neil Davidson for this extraordinary depiction of fear as a business model

When you look at this graphic, it doesn’t teach you something new.
It puts something you already know right in front of your face.

That’s what makes it soooo uncomfortable.

Systems like these rely on speed and amnesia. Slowing down, insisting on context, and keeping responsibility attached to power may be among the few levers ordinary people still have.

Fear is created, amplified, monetised, and then redirected. Harm happens, outrage flares, blame scatters, and responsibility dissolves. Meanwhile the systems that profit remain largely intact. Guns are one example, but once you see the structure you can’t unsee it. Cigarettes fit here. Gambling does too. So does fast fashion, parts of the wellness industry, fossil fuels, and even the attention economy we’re all swimming in.

What strikes me most is how insidious it is. Quiet, persistent, normalised. We argue with each other while the machinery hums along quite happily in the background. Silence is not a failure of the system, it’s one of its features.

The graphic also explains why so little seems to change. Outrage is short lived. Attention moves on. We’re offered language that feels compassionate or reassuring, thoughts and prayers, gamble responsibly, drink responsibly, take personal responsibility, while the structural questions are carefully avoided.

So here’s the question I can’t shake.

If most of us can see this happening in one form or another, what does it actually take to interrupt it?

Agency might look smaller than we expect. It might live in what we choose to amplify, what we refuse to share, and where we direct our questions when the next crisis arrives. Systems like these rely on speed and amnesia. Slowing down, insisting on context, and keeping responsibility attached to power may be among the few levers ordinary people still have.

In a nutshell

We know how this works.
We know fear is manufactured.
We know outrage is monetised.
We know blame drifts away from power.
Seeing it laid out like this doesn’t teach us.
It reminds us.
So the question isn’t whether we understand it.
It’s what we choose to amplify, and what we refuse to accept, next.

#PowerAndProfit #ManufacturedFear #SystemicHarm #FollowTheMoney #AttentionMatters #CivicResponsibility #MediaLiteracy #SlowDown

Author: Lynne Strong

I am a community advocate, storyteller and lifelong collaborator with a deep commitment to strengthening local democracy and amplifying regional voices. With roots in farming and decades of experience leading national initiatives like Action4Agriculture, I’ve dedicated my life to empowering the next generation and creating platforms where people feel seen, heard and valued. I believe in courage, kindness and the power of communities working together to shape their own future. These days, you’ll find me diving deep into the role of local media and civic engagement to explore how regional communities around the world are reclaiming their voice.

One thought on “Fear as a Business Model”

Comments are closed.