By: Dr. Abdel Aziz Tarekji
Investigative Journalist and Researcher in International Human Rights Violations
The problem is no longer that serious articles fail to generate engagement…
The problem is that triviality has become the standard, and intellectual effort is now treated as a burden rather than a value.
We—as journalists and researchers—spend hours, sometimes days, behind screens. We review, verify, analyze, translate, and rewrite, then publish work that carries thought, position, and perhaps professional risk.
And in the end?
A few modest likes… silence… or complete disregard.
In contrast, a single image—carefully designed to highlight the body—is enough to generate thousands of interactions within minutes.
No research, no substance, no message… just “display,” and the algorithms take care of the rest.
This is not coincidence; it is a profound distortion in the scale of values.
We have entered an era in which fast imagery is rewarded at the expense of ideas, and where what stimulates instinct is favored over what activates reason.
What makes this situation even more dangerous is that this type of content is no longer marginal—it is framed and marketed under appealing labels such as “influencers,” “content creators,” and “freedom of expression.”
But the fundamental question is:
What content? And what freedom?
When a semi-nude image becomes a guaranteed path to visibility, and nudity is redefined as “boldness” and a “basic right,” we are not merely facing a distortion of taste—we are witnessing a dangerous reconfiguration of the very concept of freedom itself.
This is no longer an individual phenomenon; it is supported by a full ecosystem of applications and platforms operating under labels such as “dating” and “social networking,” while in essence promoting bodily exposure because it is the most profitable and engaging.
Algorithms that do not understand thought, yet master the exploitation of instinct.
Thus, the user—especially women—is pushed toward a clear and silent equation:
The closer one moves toward nudity… the greater the reach.
The more “boldness”… the higher the engagement.
And in contrast?
The deeper the content… the lower its visibility.
It is a reversed equation that rewards surface and punishes depth.
Let us be clearer:
This is not “empowerment” as it is promoted, but rather a subtle and disguised commodification, where the body becomes a tool of attraction while platforms profit from this model.
The broader result?
The marginalization of thought, the exclusion of the word, and the redefinition of success based on “visibility” rather than “value.”
Here, the problem intersects with its root:
The journalist and the researcher produce knowledge… but knowledge is not rewarded.
Meanwhile, “fast visual content”—even if empty or quasi-pornographic—is pushed to the forefront.
We are facing an attention economy that recognizes only what keeps the eyes open, not the mind awake.
Yet responsibility does not lie solely with platforms.
There is an audience—all of us—who have become part of this equation.
Every like, every share, every follow… is an indirect vote for what we want to prevail.
And when we reward triviality, we contribute—without realizing—to the exclusion of every serious voice.
The real tragedy is not the spread of this type of content, but its normalization… its transformation into something “natural,” and the silent consolidation of the belief that what is displayed matters more than what is thought.
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Conclusion: The Era of Triviality… When the Thinker Is Marginalized and the Surface Celebrated
What we are experiencing today is not merely a distortion of digital interaction, but a full entry into an era of organized triviality, where society is reordered based on false standards:
Those without ideas are elevated, while those with substance are marginalized.
The thinker is not excluded because they are wrong, but because they do not capture attention quickly enough.
The researcher is not ignored due to lack of value, but because they do not present themselves as a “visual spectacle.”
Here lies the catastrophe:
When the human being is reduced to an image, and the mind is measured by the number of “likes,” we do not merely lose the value of words—we gradually lose respect for thought itself.
What must be stated more clearly:
The nudity and triviality promoted today are nothing more than a passing digital trend imposed by the power of algorithms. It spreads rapidly because it is easy to consume, but it has never been a true measure of value, nor will it ever constitute a genuine form of rights or freedom.
Rights are not built upon the commodification of the body, nor are they reduced to view counts.
Freedom does not mean exposure—it means awareness, choice, and responsibility.
At this point, the question is no longer: why are articles not being read?
It becomes something deeper and more dangerous:
How did we reach a point where thinking itself has become undesirable?