Virtue signaling

Overview

Virtue signaling means showing off on social media that you are on the "right side" of a social issue or moral topic. By stating a position that society considers "right," such as on the environment, human rights, or opposing discrimination, you show your moral superiority. There's no problem when action comes with it, but when someone only posts on social media without taking any real action, it gets criticized as "virtue signaling."

Answers in a question box and virtue signaling

When a question about a social issue arrives in your question box, there is a risk that your answer turns into virtue signaling. Answering "What do you think about discrimination?" with "Discrimination is never acceptable" is right in itself, but on its own it may come across as "just stating the obvious."

The difference between virtue signaling and sincerely sharing an opinion lies in being specific and in whether action is involved. Answers that go beyond "Discrimination is unacceptable" and include specific actions or knowledge, like "This is how I act in situations like this" or "This book helped me understand the issue," are less likely to be taken as virtue signaling.

Handling questions about social issues

When a question about a social issue arrives in your question box, decide carefully whether to answer it. Social issues are topics where opinions split depending on where people stand, and you may be criticized whichever position you take. A question box is a place for casual communication, and it's hard to call it a place suited to debating social issues.

If you do answer, start with "This is just my personal opinion" and avoid sounding absolute. If you don't answer, it's fine to skip it. Not answering a question about a social issue doesn't mean you don't care about that issue. What matters is the judgment to tell apart topics you should answer in a question box from topics that should be discussed somewhere else.

Showing it through action

Real action carries more weight than posting on social media. If you care about the environment, actually join a litter cleanup instead of posting about it. If you oppose discrimination, speak up about discriminatory words and actions around you instead of posting about it.

Sending a social message in an answer in your question box isn't bad in itself, but be careful that it doesn't turn into an appeal of "I'm a good person." Your followers are looking not only at your words but also at whether your actions are consistent. The values that show through here and there in your everyday posts and answers are a better clue to someone's character than a statement of position on a social issue.