There’s a reason people often compare anger with fire. While in itself morally neutral, anger can be used for great good or incredible destruction. Outrage – the anger we experience when we feel someone has violated a moral standard – has been the driving force behind wars, lynch mobs, riots, and reformations. Outrage has a long history, but within the last few years, the West’s relationship with outrage has changed, and not for the better. Something has gone wrong, both collectively and individually, with how often we experience outrage and how we deal with it.

Social media exploits the human attraction to fear and outrage.