I don't know what to tell you. If you haven't noticed the overwhelming mass-production of engineered outrage over the last few years, then perhaps we don't frequent the same places on the internet.
I see things like migrant detention, police shootings, discrimination against minorities (and especially the targeting of trans people), climate change, etc. Those things get a response on the internet, sure, and some folks are outraged over them.
But calling it 'mass produced' and 'engineered' is the same thing as saying they are 'virtue signaling'. You are saying, "Those people don't have genuinely held opinions." Implicit in that you are saying, "... but I do."
Additionally, outrage serves a really important role in our democracy. It is a critical tool that can be used to address injustice. It's not the only tool, obviously, but it is an important component in raising the voice of those who are the bottom of our society. Many of us live in relative wealth and comfort and wouldn't otherwise be made aware of how bad it is for the poorest among us without outrage.
It's definitely not the only tool. We should also be engaging in debate and advocacy and charity and organizing, etc. But calling for the elimination of outrage is calling for the silencing of voices that have no other means to effectively engage with the system.
I'm not American. Literally none of those things are relevant to me.
> You are saying, "Those people don't have genuinely held opinions." Implicit in that you are saying, "... but I do."
I didn't say that. You did.
> But calling for the elimination of outrage is calling for the silencing of voices..
Again, your words, not mine.
I'm looking at the top 25 on reddit front page now:
6 jokes
1 cat picture (which is adorable)
1 outrage post about Nintendo joycons
14 other things (sports, news, events, human interest stuff, science)
3 posts that one might arguably categorize as outrage:
* Donald Trump telling two US house members to 'go back to their countries' (Note, the comments don't seem to be outraged.)
* Ukraine chemically castrating rapists. Plenty of discourse here about wrongful convictions and the ethics of the death penalty/castration/prison in general.
* "I am not a racist, but" starter pack -- doesn't seem to be outrage, but is definitely taking a shot at a class of people?
Of course r/aww isn't going to have a lot of outrage: it isn't journalism or journalism adjacent. You might want to read the article... it isn't talking about outrage in the missed connections section of craiglist. The article is talking mostly in the context of news and disinformation on the internet.
I recommend you browse top posts in any news related subreddit to get a better idea about manufactured conflict on reddit.
Top is the most popular reddit posts, one assumes. I was pointing out that the parent comment was trivially false but presented as fact.
Maybe an hour long video essay will explain the concept and convince you of its existence a little bit better: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=36nsq2Apods
No I see it this exact opposite way!
Is there a name for this phenomenon yet? I don’t even know how to characterize it, banal opinion pontificating with zero relevance. The six comments in this sub thread are a net negative to the universe of discourse. HN used to do better.