Raging against the machine
Is emotion overriding our will to fix the world’s problems?
We asked the Global Brains Trust to explain how we got here - and how we can get out.
Expert explainers
As elections change the shape of the world in 2024, one thing is clear. People are angry.
Wealth inequality, the cost of living and a lack of affordable housing are just some of the factors fuelling a growing sense of dissatisfaction with the status quo.
The discontent and polarisation playing out around the world aren't novel human phenomena, but our exposure to anger-inducing content and events has been propelled to new heights by social media algorithms.
Certain players in the traditional news media are fanning the flames, turning to “anger-tainment” as a model to keep hold of fleeing audiences.
"There is, in other words, money in emotions, because emotions mean engagement, which means clicks, and clicks mean advertising revenue and the potential for direct donations as well for some content creators."
Dr Sebastian F. K. Svegaard, Queensland University of Technology
The political and societal ramifications of an increasingly outraged, fractured population are enormous.
Dire economic prospects are opening the door for an angry world of emotional manipulation that is specifically targeting young men.
"These lonely, disconnected men with the chance to exert horrific violence on communities they see as enemies have been one of the stories of this generation."
Dr Josh Roose, Deakin University
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In India, critics claim young people are being radicalised by populist political messaging, and are becoming "flag bearers of competitive religiosity, insecurity and hate".
Meanwhile, the next US federal election looms ever closer. Donald Trump maintains his outsize influence over the Republican party by continuing to successfully tap into a deep seated anger within segments of the US community that feel they have been left behind.
Thankfully, anger is not just a useful tool for those who choose to inflame pre-existing tensions. It is also the underpinning emotion behind progress.
Greta Thunberg has scowled at and berated world leaders while triggering a global youth climate movement which strives for a better world for generations to come.
Studies show that collective anger expressed through climate marches like the Thunberg-led 'School Strike for Climate' helps promote awareness and information-seeking about climate change.
"Researchers from the London School of Economics stress the power of mobilising anger to increase collective action to remedy a perceived injustice. They claim that anger works as a motivational signal that convinces more people that others will soon act and this makes them want to join."
Justin See, University of Sydney
Adults, watch and learn.
Lachlan Guselli, Commissioning Editor, 360info
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