Do we feel obliged to be outraged?

Editor Reports: Outrage, is it something we’re becoming conditioned to feel every time an ‘issue’ arises? ATV Today Editor Shaun Linden ponders…

In a world of social media, 24 hour news and online petitions do we feel obliged, or rather pressured, to feel outraged?

There have been many cases where the media have reported ‘outrage’ on Twitter and Facebook. Members of the public can now instantly tell the world how they feel about a specific story but is it real outrage or just a ‘cool school outrage’?

It is quite easy to type a sentence saying you are outraged, want someone sacked or encouraging people to re-tweet if you agree – but just how much of what you post is actually real anger? Surely if you were that outraged you would actively do something? Take the latest case regarding the phone hacking allegations.

I am shocked that News Of The World allegedly hired someone to hack into the phone of a missing school girl, but I am not outraged in the sense I am going to stop buying The Sun because of its connection, or stop watching Sky News because it’s mildly associated with companies involved. I’m also not going to post tweet after tweet of how I am disgusted and outraged at Rebekah Brooks.

Now for saying this I feel bad because in the world we live in, I feel obliged – especially online – to feel outraged. But the honest truth is I don’t. I doubt many people online do. It is just so easy now to post a tweet or click to join a Facebook group. You join the group – then what? You haven’t achieved anything. The people who should feel outraged should be the people involved.

Now someone will likely say ‘what about murders or terrorist attacks’. I do generally feel a sense of sadness and it does make you think, having said that, should I then feel forced into making ‘R.I.P’ posts and re-tweeting a images or statements which apparently sum up a nations feeling? What would my R.I.P post add? If I felt that concerned would it not be better to buy some flowers and write a message attached and taken them to the scene?

People often say freedom of speech, but it is not. Freedom of speech is only acceptable if the other person agrees with it – if not, you will be censored?