Social Media Martyrs and Outrage Farming — The Line Between Accountability and Harassment
Outrage farming is a tactic used by some individuals and organizations on social media to generate attention and engagement by promoting controversial or divisive content. The goal of outrage farming is to get people to share, like, and comment on posts, often without fully understanding or considering the implications of the content.
One of the dangers of outrage farming is that it largely contributes to the spread of misinformation. By promoting sensational or inflammatory content, those who engage in outrage farming can manipulate people into sharing and amplifying false or misleading claims. This can have serious consequences, including harming individuals and damaging reputations.
Outrage farming can contribute to the erosion of civil discourse and the further polarization of society. By promoting content designed to enrage or divide people, outrage farmers can create an atmosphere of anger and mistrust, making it difficult for people to have productive conversations and work together towards common goals.
To defend against the risks of outrage farming, individuals need to be familiar with the strategies employed by these people and organizations. This involves being discerning about the content shared on social media, checking the accuracy of information before sharing it, and considering the potential consequences of sharing controversial or polarizing content. But outrage farmers aren’t the only groups of people who employ divisive tactics.
Enter: The Social Media Martyrs —
Social media martyrs are individuals who use social media to express their opinions and beliefs in a highly public and sometimes confrontational way. These individuals often seek to provoke strong reactions from others, sometimes to the point of becoming martyrs for their cause.
Now, I’m not talking about those who use their social media platforms for educational purposes when it comes to political and socioeconomic issues. I am specifically speaking of those who talk about these issues in a sensationalized manner, who also may or may not have ill intent when speaking on these issues.
These types of social media personalities can be found on platforms like Tiktok and Twitter. Some of them call themselves “Accountability Creators” or “Call out creators”, but are they? Where do we draw the line between outrage farming and “call out” content?
In my humble opinion, call-out creators and outrage farming are almost the same. Two different groups of people are deploying the same tactics, hoping to achieve the same goal: internet notoriety aka “clout” — Ironically, this works to gain internet fame quickly. There have been outrage farmers and “accountability” creators who have achieved massive platforms and in some cases have even been given the official blue check verification. But when does it become too much?
The Line —
Many so-called “call-out creators” have appointed themselves as authority figures when it comes to “doing the right thing”. While they try to position themselves as bringers of justice, they frequently are the creators of chaos. While they may do “the right thing” sometimes, a large portion of their platform is dedicated to harassing or otherwise publicly shaming people they do not align with in the name of social justice.
Many outrage farmers are not only okay with spreading misinformation, but they are proud of being internet saboteurs. This is seemingly their only real goal as all of their interactions with others on the internet are highly conflicting, regularly taking place in the middle of some sort of discourse. IMHO, this content sometimes walks a thin line between outrage and cyberterrorism — but that's a conversation for another day.
Both groups weaponize the platforms they’ve been able to build to harass others. Both groups create and promote content that influences people’s emotions and biases. This content can manipulate people into supporting causes or ideas that may not truly align with their own best interests. When a creator has 1 million+ followers, being able to weaponize that following at the drop of a hat can be more powerful than people realize.
We’ve witnessed many “call-out creators” weaponize their following for the smallest of things. IYKYK. Ego can be a powerful driver for the wrong person with a large platform. Many big “accountability” creators don’t like being told that their actions are wrong, or that they’ve done something harmful. How does the saying go? “Accountability for thee, but not for me” — amirite?
So what's the difference??
Can we say there is a difference? Lets BFFR.
While it may be tempting to share and engage with this type of content, I believe it’s important to be aware of the implications this type of content has and the intent of the creator making this sort of content. I am under no illusion that the masses will care enough to have open discussions about this specific topic. Still, I think it’s really important that while we become a more digital society we take a critical look at the content we consume and the source it's coming from.
In closing, both outrage farming and “call-out content” is used on social media to generate attention and engagement by promoting controversial or divisive content. It is essential to be aware of how dangerous this content can become: the spread of misinformation, the erosion of civil discourse, and the potential for manipulation and control. There are real lives that have been, will be, and currently are being affected by this content.
While it may not be the intent of these types of creators, I fear this type of content is feeding into a bigger issue that is becoming more and more prevalent: cyberterrorism. I’ll dig into this another day.
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