[pythonb3sss]

Hi. I realize you're not looking for answers, but I would like to give my 2 cents. Now, this is just my opinion and I welcome constructive criticism.

> are these people even real? Do they live somewhere I'm just unfamiliar with? Or did the internet give them some loud voice that otherwise doesn't exist in person?

Yes. Most, but not all, of these "loud" influencers are real. Social media has become their platform to voice their opinions extremely loudly. And it has given them a reach that wasn't possible before. One public tweet on Twitter is instantly available to all the users and "lurkers". The algorithm pushes it based on engagement and it propagates through the filter bubble it "fits" in. Now they know that there are others who agree with them, but the only way to reach them is through social media. So most of them just keep their opinion online.

> Why are these voices the loudest - does controversy really sell this well? Is social media purposefully putting controversial things on the forefront because it increases engagement?

Yes. The main goal of Big Social (is that even a real term?) is to increase engagement and then sell ads. Fixing this "most engaged content goes to the top" approach will cut into their profits which will spook investors.

P.S This is my first comment outside of my own post (yes, only one post). I am a lurker