Antisemitism has shifted into the digital age and now thrives where attention is sold like a commodity. This piece looks at how algorithms, influencers and dollars have turned hate into profitable content, why that matters beyond screens, and what stakeholders must face if they want to stop the rot. The goal here is to call out the economic levers that make online bigotry repeatable and resilient.
Hatred has always adapted, and today it lives comfortably inside social media feeds and monetized platforms. What used to be whispered in margins now shows up on millions of screens within hours, with outrage acting as the accelerant. When visibility equals value, bad actors learn to tailor their message to the market instead of their conscience.
In the modern attention economy, engagement is the metric and clicks are the payout. Algorithms reward strong feeling over truth, and sensational content outperforms sober reporting every time. That dynamic means antisemitic material not only spreads but earns, creating perverse incentives for repetition and escalation.
ANTISEMITISM IS BECOMING ‘NORMAL,’ WITH JEWISH TEENS PAYING THE PRICE
We saw how this plays out in real life when influencers were filmed chanting Nazi slogans and making salutes, laughing as cameras rolled inside limousines and nightclubs. Those clips were designed to provoke and grab attention, and they did exactly that. The shock value translated into views, and the views translated into money or clout for the people involved.
Extremists quickly learn that provocation is profitable, turning hate into a calculated business strategy. Donations, subscriptions and branded merchandise follow attention, so ideology becomes a revenue stream for some operators. When financial reward lines up with outrage, the incentives to stop are weak and the temptation to push further grows stronger.
SIGN UP FOR ANTISEMITISM EXPOSED NEWSLETTER
Calling moderation teams alone the solution misses the larger point about system design. Platforms are built to maximize time on site and interactions, not to weigh moral consequences, and that structural choice matters. If the economic model remains engagement-first, bad actors will keep finding ways to game it and profit from it.
Advertisers share responsibility too, because ad dollars underwrite the platforms that distribute toxic content. Brands that fail to scrutinize where their messaging appears can end up underwriting the very divisions they publicly condemn. That is neither clever nor sustainable; it is a market signal that says outrage is acceptable as long as it sells.
The fallout does not stay online. Normalized rhetoric migrates into campuses, public spaces and workplaces, giving emboldened actors permission to repeat or escalate harmful acts in person. Communities that assumed geography or diversity insulated them are waking up to how digital dynamics leak into everyday life. When language is normalized on screens, behavior follows in the streets.
Organizations and local leaders need tools to confront this hybrid threat where economics and extremism collide. At Boundless, we work to help leaders and communities understand and confront modern antisemitism and the incentives that keep it thriving. This does not mean silencing debate; it means redesigning incentives so division is not financially rewarded.
Fixing the problem requires more than content takedowns. Policymakers should investigate platform incentives and advertiser practices, businesses must tighten where their ads run, and communities should refuse to normalize hate as entertainment. If we allow profit to pick sides against basic decency, the cost will be paid in real-world harm and a corrosion of civic norms. Hate should never be a revenue stream.
