3 ms·

Anger can be used to drive engagement

veunes 2y ago
I used it to finally start to communicate my needs more effectively
s1artibartfast 2y ago
I guess that just beggs the question of why anger is so engaging, and why people haven't adopted behaviors and norms that suit themselves better.
- 93po 2y ago
  i'd say emotions are engaging, anger is just the easiest one to evoke by people who want to monetize your attention
- kibwen 2y ago
  Evolution takes generations. Society might adapt, if given enough time, and assuming that society can survive that long while trillion-dollar companies are incentivized to exploit human emotion in such a destructive way.
  - schneems 2y ago
    Also evolution doesn’t happen due to stimulus unless it affects fitness (just because we don’t like a trait, if people with it keep having babies at the same rate as others, then it won’t go away).
- schneems 2y ago
  These aren’t conscious decisions people are making. It’s baked into our chemical systems (read thinking fast and slow for some more context). Millions of years of survival instincts don’t go away overnight. We are wired to pay more attention to negative things so we don’t get eaten. That wiring is exploited at scale in ways we never dreamed of. Even in the days before the internet, nightly news crews knew: if it bleeds, it leads.
- fifticon 2y ago
  I'd say anger IS a prime engagement mechanism, its purpose is almost to 'engage' ("I must take action to fix this now/it is on ME to engage with this now). The problem is that it can be co-opted and misused to drive up numbers for people sitting in San Francisco, outside of its original purpose in a huntergatherer society.
robotnikman 2y ago
This is probably one of the biggest reasons right here. Its the whole reason behind inflammatory clickbait headlines. It's also one of the reasons I avoid most social media, I don't need that kind of negativity affecting my mental health. If its something important, I will probably hear it from a friend or it might appear here on HN. But even on HN I have been seeing a lot of inflammatory news on the front page. Makes me wonder if someone has built an AI webapp which shows you only the tech related news on HN.
- veunes 2y ago
  I try not to trash my mind with it too. If it's important to know it'll get to me
ChrisMarshallNY 2y ago
Yup. It's something that demagogues have known for centuries. Get people angry, and you can lead them around. When we are angry or afraid (and, it's my belief that anger is really just a reaction to fear), our thinking becomes "binary." No time to sweat the details. [Fight|Flight] Pick one. We don't become stupid, but our decisions tend to be rash, and ill-considered. People make bad decisions when they are stressed, especially when angry. Works a charm, when you are the hate dealer, and you are the one that benefits from the bad decisions of your customers.

I used it to finally start to communicate my needs more effectively

I guess that just beggs the question of why anger is so engaging, and why people haven't adopted behaviors and norms that suit themselves better.

93po 2y ago
i'd say emotions are engaging, anger is just the easiest one to evoke by people who want to monetize your attention
kibwen 2y ago
Evolution takes generations. Society might adapt, if given enough time, and assuming that society can survive that long while trillion-dollar companies are incentivized to exploit human emotion in such a destructive way.
- schneems 2y ago
  Also evolution doesn’t happen due to stimulus unless it affects fitness (just because we don’t like a trait, if people with it keep having babies at the same rate as others, then it won’t go away).
schneems 2y ago
These aren’t conscious decisions people are making. It’s baked into our chemical systems (read thinking fast and slow for some more context). Millions of years of survival instincts don’t go away overnight. We are wired to pay more attention to negative things so we don’t get eaten. That wiring is exploited at scale in ways we never dreamed of. Even in the days before the internet, nightly news crews knew: if it bleeds, it leads.
fifticon 2y ago
I'd say anger IS a prime engagement mechanism, its purpose is almost to 'engage' ("I must take action to fix this now/it is on ME to engage with this now). The problem is that it can be co-opted and misused to drive up numbers for people sitting in San Francisco, outside of its original purpose in a huntergatherer society.

robotnikman 2y ago

This is probably one of the biggest reasons right here. Its the whole reason behind inflammatory clickbait headlines. It's also one of the reasons I avoid most social media, I don't need that kind of negativity affecting my mental health. If its something important, I will probably hear it from a friend or it might appear here on HN. But even on HN I have been seeing a lot of inflammatory news on the front page. Makes me wonder if someone has built an AI webapp which shows you only the tech related news on HN.

veunes 2y ago
I try not to trash my mind with it too. If it's important to know it'll get to me

ChrisMarshallNY 2y ago

Yup. It's something that demagogues have known for centuries. Get people angry, and you can lead them around. When we are angry or afraid (and, it's my belief that anger is really just a reaction to fear), our thinking becomes "binary." No time to sweat the details. [Fight|Flight] Pick one. We don't become stupid, but our decisions tend to be rash, and ill-considered. People make bad decisions when they are stressed, especially when angry. Works a charm, when you are the hate dealer, and you are the one that benefits from the bad decisions of your customers.