Every time a video titled “My controlling partner rates my cleaning routine” goes viral, every time a podcast dissects a “May Li’s” strained smile over a sponsored smoothie, we drive engagement. The algorithm learns that pain, laced with aesthetics, performs well.

We are witnessing a disturbing convergence. The lines between , true crime entertainment , and actual coercion have not just blurred—they have been deliberately erased by content creators hungry for the next viral scandal.

May Li is not a character. She is not an aesthetic. And until we stop treating her suffering as lifestyle content, we are not the audience.

For consumers, the remedy is simple but difficult: Stop watching. Do not rubberneck. If a channel or show markets itself on the “mystery” of a participant’s wellbeing, close the tab. Real abuse is not a puzzle box for your entertainment.