Sex No Longer Sells: Hate Does

Hate became the new currency.

Guest article by Meghan Hays, Democratic strategist and former special assistant to the president and director of message planning for President Joe Biden.

Photo by Andre Hunter on Unsplash

Somewhere along the way, our culture flipped from “sex sells” to “hate sells.” Today, it’s not desire that moves people, it is division. In our media and politics, “hate” has become the driving force.

The attention economy that we all now live in—the world dominated by swiping—operates on a similar incentive structure as past media endeavors: maximize the amount of time your consumer spends consuming your product. What’s changed, though, is what actually keeps individuals scrolling, consuming your media. In the past, there were phrases like “blood and sex sell,” but now hatred, division, and chaos are by far the number one driver of engagement.

Platforms are built to maximize engagement, not aspiration. And the data shows that outrage and negative content spread faster, wider, and more deeply than neutral or positive content. For years, individuals I know claimed that moderate, common-sense statements couldn’t gain traction online—and they were right. It boils down to two things: the need to maximize engagement, and the studies that suggest anger is the best way to do that. And now, we’re seeing anger and division take over our media ecosystem more than ever.

Politics didn’t invent this trend, but it mastered it. Campaigns realized that negative partisanship—getting people to fear or despise the other side more than they love their own—drives an engaged audience. Hate became not just a byproduct but a strategy. Why sell hope when fear guarantees more clicks, more donations, and more ballots cast?

In recent elections, around one in three people voted against something rather than for something—meaning their motivation was more about stopping someone they disliked than supporting someone they liked. Posts about “them” tend to be shared more and have higher engagement.

In the process of this behavior, we have created a society where common ground erodes and identity is defined less by what we desire and more by what or who we despise. “Sex sells” once tapped into something universal. “Hate sells” thrives on fragmentation. And while sex in advertising may have been shallow, at least it pointed toward connection. Hate points us toward isolation.

We didn’t arrive here by accident, and we don’t have to stay here. Platforms can design algorithms to reward connection over outrage. Political leaders can choose to campaign on vision instead of division. Brands can resist the short-term hit of controversy and invest in narratives that build communities rather than fracture them.

“Sex sells” was never a perfect slogan, but it worked because it tapped into something human. “Hate sells” may be more profitable in the digital age, but it corrodes the society it feeds on. The question for all of us—voters, consumers, and citizens—is whether we want to keep buying it.

Meghan Hays is a Democratic strategist and former special assistant to the president and director of message planning for President Joe Biden.