Hyperfocus with Rae Jacobson The ADHD content economy: How algorithms and incentives turn help into grift
Jan 29, 2026
Cate Osborn, known online as Catieosaurus, is a creator and researcher who critiques ADHD social media culture. She unpacks how algorithms reward sensational, low-quality ADHD content. She explains why some creators exploit vulnerable audiences for profit. She offers tips for spotting more reliable sources and ethical creators online.
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Grifting Defined And Distinguished
- Grifters knowingly spread misinformation to profit from desperate, isolated people seeking help.
- Cate Osborn distinguishes between harmful grifting and well-meaning but unskilled practitioners who still cause damage.
Vulnerability Attracts Exploiters
- Social and economic precarity makes neurodivergent people lucrative targets for exploitative creators.
- Cate Osborn calls that targeted profiteering "gross" and ethically troubling.
Choose Depth Over 60-Second Clicks
- If a topic needs more than a short clip, make longer-form content rather than oversimplify in 60 seconds.
- Prioritize clarity and ethics over chasing algorithmic reward for brief, diluted takes.
