Conflict Entrepreneurs Manipulate Us – If We Let Them
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Conflict entrepreneurs exploit conflict for profit, attention, or power. This concept was coined by Amanda Ripley in her book High Conflict: Why We Get Trapped and How We Get Out, where she explains that conflict entrepreneurs “talk about conflict like it is a religion unto itself, a way to make sense of the world and our place in it, a sacred flame that must never be extinguished.” The Outrage-Industrial Complex is another term for the same idea, as used by journalist Marc Ambinder who writes: “There are people in Washington who have the job of manufacturing outrage; who get paid to take offense, or to find ways to take offense, and to broadcast their outrage to others.” These days, conflict entrepreneurs operate far beyond our nation’s capital, and it is vital that each of us learn to better understand who they are and how we are being manipulated.
Who are these people and how impactful are they? We classify conflict entrepreneurs in several categories. Social media platforms, including Meta and X, have a key role in magnifying conflict. They may not be the original source of conflict, but their algorithms exploit, promote, and magnify it.
Political influencers are people using talk radio, podcasts, and social media, often for their personal financial benefit. Some foreign government also perpetuate division and conflict by propaganda campaigns. Journalists can be conflict entrepreneurs, too, as so much of today’s news is blurred with stories slanted to appeal to certain audiences. Some journalists are committed to reducing division, but the changes in the national media environment are pushing many in an unfortunate direction.
Many politicians are rewarded for bad behavior which helps explain why so many of our elected officials are increasingly divisive and dysfunctional in their roles. Negative campaigning is more effective than promoting a positive vision of what your side has to offer. Political parties can be conflict entrepreneurs, too, playing on people’s fears with divisive messages.
“Polarization is profitable now, but someone will pay the price later,” a state representative observed at a New Hampshire Braver Angels workshop that brought together legislators from both political parties. At a Boston workshop focused on promoting trustworthy elections, a participant commented, “We trust social media more than our neighbors.” Neither of these statements raised an eyebrow among workshop attendees, and they represent a profound recognition of where our country stands today.
Can you really trust anyone anymore, and where do you go to find someone or something to believe in? Which people or information sources are playing on your fears and emotions? How is social media being exploited to create division? Who are the conflict entrepreneurs that are most influencing you?
It’s natural to think of this problem as belonging to other people, especially “those people” on the other side of the political divide. But it is vital to also consider our personal actions and behaviors. We each absorb many divisive messages in our daily lives and choose how to use this information. If we pass forward divisive and negative energy -- even to family and friends -- we, too, are part of the problem, whether intended or otherwise. As one thoughtful person observed, “We have to look in the mirror and say, ‘Is it us?’” When we dehumanize others, we become conflict entrepreneurs, too.
Individual impact may be small, but collective actions can be powerful. If we are unwittingly enabling conflict, this adds to the national distress and boosts the conflict entrepreneurs. But, if we move in a more positive direction, this can attract others and build a movement for positive change.
Working together, we can collectively blunt the power of conflict entrepreneurs and lead our country past this current state of widespread contempt for those who think differently about politics.
What is in your heart and what you think really matter -- your influence touches others who in turn touch others. You have a lot more power than you might think. Yes, there are conflict entrepreneurs and tech giants who play division to the max, but that only works if we let them. Change and moral reawakening can start with us.
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