Social Media and the Seven Deadly Sins
How platforms exploit human weakness through lust, gluttony, greed, sloth, wrath, envy, and pride.
Social Media and the Seven Deadly Sins
Every major social media platform has built its empire on human weakness. Not on connection, not on community, but on the reliable exploitation of ancient impulses we've carried since long before screens existed.
The seven deadly sins weren't invented by medieval theologians as abstract moral concepts. They were observations of persistent human vulnerabilities: lust, gluttony, greed, sloth, wrath, envy, and pride. And each modern platform has found its niche.
Lust
OnlyFans and Instagram dominate here. Suggestive content, intimate imagery, the promise of access to something private. The feed never ends, and the algorithm learns exactly what holds attention. Lust isn't just sexual desire; it's the hunger for what feels forbidden or exclusive.
Gluttony
Instagram again, but this time through food and travel influencers. Endless indulgence. Buffets of visual excess. The message is clear: more is better, and you should want it all. Consumption without pause, without reflection.
Greed
Instagram and YouTube showcase wealth, luxury, and the appearance of success. Influencers flaunt cars, watches, vacations. They sell courses, products, lifestyles. The platform becomes a marketplace where greed is repackaged as aspiration.
Sloth
YouTube and TikTok make passive consumption effortless. Autoplay. Endless scroll. No effort required. Just lean back and let the algorithm decide what you see next. Sloth isn't laziness; it's the surrender of agency.
Wrath
X (formerly Twitter) and Reddit thrive on outrage. Heated arguments, call-outs, public shaming. The platform rewards sharp takes and conflict. Wrath spreads faster than nuance, and the algorithm knows it.
Envy
X, Reddit, Instagram, and TikTok all cultivate comparison. Users covet others' lifestyles, looks, achievements. The curated highlight reel becomes the standard, and everyone else's life looks better than yours.
Pride
X, Reddit, and LinkedIn display self-promotion and virtue signaling. Users seek validation, admiration, and status. Pride isn't confidence; it's the need for others to witness and affirm your worth.
The Pattern
None of this is accidental. Platforms are designed to exploit these impulses because they're predictable, measurable, and profitable. Engagement metrics don't care about virtue. They care about time on screen, clicks, shares.
The seven deadly sins persist because they're part of human nature. Social media didn't invent them. It just found a way to monetize them at scale.