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I’ll never forget where I was when I heard that Charlie Kirk had been shot. 

I had just gotten back to my dorm room after my afternoon class on Sept. 10. I whipped out my laptop, opened YouTube, and saw the words “Charlie Kirk shot” in all caps under the first recommended video. For the next two hours, my friends and I waited, barely breathing, until President Donald Trump announced Charlie’s death on Truth Social.

When I went to dinner, the dining hall was half empty and silent.

One year later, many writers, podcasters, and content creators have belabored the narrative: Charlie was the ideal conservative; he stood for something greater than himself; his legacy lives on through those who will pick up his microphone. 

But barely anyone has spoken of how the fallout from his murder is tainting his legacy. It took Charlie’s assassination for me to realize the whole truth: Overconsumption of online content is a secular religion that people use to distract themselves from reality. It is the white noise that crackles from your phone as you sit with your family at the dinner table, eyes glued to the little screen in your hand instead of your loved ones’ faces. 

In the days following Charlie’s death, I deleted all my social media. I had already given up Instagram for the semester, but Sept. 10, 2025, convinced me to delete YouTube and X as well. As someone who creates content for marketing, I knew the internet too well, and I knew how it would react to the assassination.

I knew the conspiracy theories would flow and I knew exactly what they would say. I knew the mob would blame Israel. I knew they would blame Charlie’s wife, Erika. When you spend enough time on the internet, the rituals become remarkably predictable. 

Many people talk about how algorithms are tailored to affirm your biases. They claim “the internet is fake,” “you can’t trust anything you see,” and “TikTok rewards controversy.” But no one who says this without consistently questioning internet narratives believes it.

We tend to think of consumerism as a left-wing issue. After all, many liberals do gobble up short-form sound bites. The modern LGBT movement wouldn’t exist without the idolization of sexuality. The body positive crowd is defined by its celebration of gluttony. 

But the preference for dramatic, outlandish narratives is just as much of a right-wing issue. It simply comes in the form of endless podcast consumption, the high of dramatic in-fighting, and constant finger-pointing. It doesn’t matter whether it’s peddled by edgy loudmouths like Stephen Crowder, attention-seeking conspiracists like Candace Owens, or immature provocateurs like Nick Fuentes. It’s all the same. 

I do not claim to know what’s true about Charlie’s assassination. But the religion of consumerism requires those who follow it to have an opinion at all times. Bonus points if that opinion is in the form of a pandering slogan like “I will not die for Israel” or “turn Gaza into a parking lot.”

If you don’t have an opinion about anything and everything at all times — especially Charlie’s murder, his wife’s microexpressions, or the war in the Middle East — you will pay the price to the consumerist cult in the form of harassment, accusations, and threats. Even your friends, though they mean well, will punish you with patronization.

With all of this outside noise telling you you’re wrong, it’s tempting to cave to the social pressure and join with the internet hivemind, but let me give you a word of advice: don’t. If you stand, you will find peace, and ridicule will seem like a small price to pay for it. 

Michael Knowles, a conservative podcaster and Hillsdale’s 2027 commencement speaker, recently illustrated how one ought to stand firm with grace and conviction. He declined to moderate a debate about Charlie’s death between Candace Owens and Andrew Wilson.

“The whole internet seems to think this debate will be must-see content, and I’m sure it will be,” Knowles said. “I bet it will get zillions of views. That is, in fact, why I’m declining. I am probably the single worst person to moderate this debate because, for 10 or 11 months now, I have been, very possibly, the only person on the internet who has consistently maintained that our friend’s murder should not be used for podcast content.” 

In a world of Stephens, Candaces, and Nicks, follow Michael’s example. Put down your phone and honor Charlie’s legacy by letting him rest. 

Jayden Jelso is a senior studying English.