To ask what the psychology is behind virtue signalling?

[chrisevans]

Is it a low self esteem thing?

Is it that the person is actually a good person but likes recognition?

Is it trying to be inspiring to others?

I know people get annoyed by it, the whole I just donated ..... announcements but what is it about the donator that they are trying to achieve or what is the psychology behind it?

Personally you carry on telling us about your good deeds and good for you, but I am interested to know thoughts on the above.

Imo virtue signalling is just a form of hypocrisy.

Dunno. I often retweet if I have donated to something as my Twitter clan are quite likely to be interested in the same causes, and the cause itself offers you a standard form. I do it so other people can contribute if it's their thing.

& I don't think it's particularly surprising that people don't like hypocrisy & have a strong reaction to it.

I had a great need to be seen to be respected. I would put it down to having a less than perfect DP who embarrassed and made me ashamed of them and thus also me.
It took me to my ?50s to realise that I pontificated on things I had read about, had 'firm but reasonable' views on most things etc etc so this demonstrated that I was an admirable, wise person.
Once I realised what I was doing i had to admit that I was a boring, not very bright normal person and needed to just be myself. However, this meant I was happy in my skin.
I suspect most people are like I was - they don't actually know themselves, they don't actually know why they need approbation to feel good, they have a false image of themselves they keep up.

Realising you are just a nobody much like everyone else, and as many people will tick like as much as not, and that it doesn't matter - just be you..... is quite a mature thing, many people haven't got there yet.

DP was DearParent.

There is someone at work like this. She talks about her good deeds non stop and then posts them on Facebook. She is a teacher and posts letters from children (no names) that she has ‘helped’. She is a Christian yet I feel she boasts constantly about how great she is. She shouts people down because she feels her side always needs to be heard. Sometimes she just needs to listen rather than tell us. We all do lots of what she does as part of our job daily. Oh and she’s a foster carer, we are told regularly. It’s exhausting!

As said its mostly misused.

As part of the right wing culture war. Anyone doing anything good or campaigning for something is virtue signalling.

Usually it comes with a tu quoque fallacy too.

Anyone doing anything good or campaigning for something is virtue signalling.

No that's not the issue it's the publicising or boasting of your good works that's the problem not the event.
Understandable if you are crowdfunding .

So campaigning should be done quietly in a corner where no one can see? Effective.

There aren't many people who post constantly about their charity work, but people do to raise money, to raise wareness of causes and activities.

Virtue signalling is hurled at loads of people actually doing good.

It's just a way to shut people up or to express disbelief in their motives

It's that specialist branch of psychology called "Do As I Say, Not As I Do".

@CaptainWentworth

I must admit I do often post something on Facebook when I give blood, although I hardly ever post on there generally. I always hope I might inspire someone else to do it too, that’s the main reason. I was too scared of needles to do it for years, so I always make a point of saying how easy it was and how well I was looked after.

That's great and well done you. I absolutely wholeheartedly think more people that quietly go about giving blood should share it on social media and raise awareness and hopefully encourage others to do the same.

I guess potentially it's because people don't want the negative connotations with the eye roll virtue signalling referred to on this post.

It's a strange one to get your head around.

I had this very thought today, and in fact it was around blood donation. Many of us mean to do good deeds, but don’t get round to it or put it off, and a nudge or signal can make that difference in normalising, mainstreaming, motivating, etc.

This is precisely what I dislike about SM virtue signalling. There is so much of this on the stupid school or kids extracurricular activity WhatsApp groups.

You lot all want to nudge us and influence our behaviour, make use do thing you see as worthwhile in that millisecond before you move onto something else. You also believe that we, who don't promote our views in this way have never considered this oh so worthy thing, for all intents and purposes, we might have been supporting refuges, cleaning up rubbish along the river banks and supporting homeless charities quietly and modestly for decades.

Everyone is communicating on SM to promote their views and actions with the purpose of making others change their view and behaviour and to be seen as on the right side of history.

This is what fucks me off most about SM, it's so self important and blinkered but at the same time it comes across as quite unsophisticated (sorry). Social interactions are limited to the promotion of your best assets, attributes and pet ideologies. It's incredibly unsatisfying and so dull to engage with people on this basis.

The needle icon, I mean how plain can you get? I am hugely for vaccines, have had 2 plus booster, teens had 2 vaccines each, I devoured Sarah Gilbert's book but would I stick a friggin badge on my profile to 'oh so subtly' influence others to my superior world view? Hell no, I'd rather have a reasoned in person discussion and don't need a stupid girl guide badge to validate me.

I actually feel a bit sorry for those who feel that this is the only but of influencing power they have.

@TooBigForMyBoots

What is the psychology behind being negative about the contributors in our society?🤔

Bitterness? Jealousy? Inability to be happy for others?

I think k basically the problem is that people interpret all sorts of different things as boasting, or giving guilt trips to others.

In most cases its probably none of these things.

You are projecting.

@chrisevans

You asked about the psychology behind virtual signalling in sm about charity stuff you do. After clarifying, I'm the only PP that talked about the psychology

You're not interested though in actual psychology. What you meant was 'Come join me people to moan about those that post about doing charity or good deeds a lot on sm'

That's conjecturing peoples motivations - guessing at- and complaining about them behind their backs- bitching! It's nowhere near what psychology is at all!!!

@whereismumhiding3

Well said

I think that throughout history, people have suffered. It's been part of the human condition for so long. We have it so easy these days that there really isn't much suffering, at least not in western societies, so people try and create dramas to be involved in this suffering. If they can't directly be victims, then they virtue signal to involve themselves.

The David Baddiel programme (BBC iplayer) about the use and manipulation of those using SM was really enlightening.

@ReinReinRein

I had this very thought today, and in fact it was around blood donation. Many of us mean to do good deeds, but don’t get round to it or put it off, and a nudge or signal can make that difference in normalising, mainstreaming, motivating, etc.

This is precisely what I dislike about SM virtue signalling. There is so much of this on the stupid school or kids extracurricular activity WhatsApp groups.

You lot all want to nudge us and influence our behaviour, make use do thing you see as worthwhile in that millisecond before you move onto something else. You also believe that we, who don't promote our views in this way have never considered this oh so worthy thing, for all intents and purposes, we might have been supporting refuges, cleaning up rubbish along the river banks and supporting homeless charities quietly and modestly for decades.

Everyone is communicating on SM to promote their views and actions with the purpose of making others change their view and behaviour and to be seen as on the right side of history.

This is what fucks me off most about SM, it's so self important and blinkered but at the same time it comes across as quite unsophisticated (sorry). Social interactions are limited to the promotion of your best assets, attributes and pet ideologies. It's incredibly unsatisfying and so dull to engage with people on this basis.

The needle icon, I mean how plain can you get? I am hugely for vaccines, have had 2 plus booster, teens had 2 vaccines each, I devoured Sarah Gilbert's book but would I stick a friggin badge on my profile to 'oh so subtly' influence others to my superior world view? Hell no, I'd rather have a reasoned in person discussion and don't need a stupid girl guide badge to validate me.

I actually feel a bit sorry for those who feel that this is the only but of influencing power they have.

What a sad and cynical person this paints you as.

There’s a teacher in Leeds who noticed one of her pupils struggling at school and when she dug deeper she found that his mum had fled a domestic violence relationship and they lived in a house with hardly any furniture and he was sleeping on the floor. She sorted them out with furniture and from there (and as far as I can see, hugely aided by sharing on social media) she has set up a charity which she runs alongside her day job. I believe that in the week running to Christmas they delivered around 70 beds for kids who would otherwise have not had one. Without social media she wouldn’t have the donations to do this work.

According to you this is self important and blinkered but I can tell you now that so many more people now understand the levels of poverty in their community. Rather than being blinkered it’s opened peoples eyes. It may be unsophisticated but it works and it makes a genuine difference, so perhaps the blinkered one (when it comes to social media) is you, because you’re so keen to judge it that you don’t seethe potential.

@snapsieplopp

Imo virtue signalling is just a form of hypocrisy.

I’m interested to know how you define virtue signalling and why you think it’s hypocrisy

@TyrannosaurusRegina

I think that throughout history, people have suffered. It's been part of the human condition for so long. We have it so easy these days that there really isn't much suffering, at least not in western societies, so people try and create dramas to be involved in this suffering. If they can't directly be victims, then they virtue signal to involve themselves.

Brilliant phrase coined on here a few years ago ‘grief wanking’ although I don’t think that’s what virtue signalling is.

Without it MN would cease to exist

@Chasingaftermidnight

I'm much more interested in the psychology of seeing someone post about charity or social justice or just doing a nice thing, and immediately sourly labelling it as "virtue signalling" (which is a term originally coined by the extreme right).

Yep. Typically used to insult anyone who openly challenged racism/misogyny/homophobia - women who are unhappy at receiving rape threats or white people who don’t enjoy racist jokes.

I agree with this ^

People label certain behaviours virtue signalling because they make them feel uncomfortable.

I'm known among my friends as being a strong environmentalist, and was accused of virtue signalling once because I mentioned that I'd made my own Christmas Crackers out of old loo rolls!

I think it's important to talk about issues like climate change, racism and misogyny because otherwise certain behaviours get normalised and accepted. And if that's 'virtue signalling', well I will carry on doing it.

Attention seeking

@ineedsun you may have misunderstood my post. I'd respect and support a local campaign using SM channels, that openly asks for support, where people can rally around and actively help someone or a cause. I have no issue wit this.

It's all the constant silly attempts at nudging friends in order to 'oh so subtly' try to influence us by broadcasting a status update on what worthwhile things you have done, as I tried to explain with the vaccine badge example. A SM post stating why someone finds vaccines are important and giving factual reasons why they choose to be vaccinated is interesting and captures me. I find sticking a vaccine badge on your profile rather or using emotional buttons to influence other people's behaviour incredibly annoying. I suppose it's all down to the style of communication.