{"id":126190,"date":"2019-08-16T09:14:18","date_gmt":"2019-08-16T13:14:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/news\/?p=126190"},"modified":"2022-12-21T10:54:51","modified_gmt":"2022-12-21T15:54:51","slug":"bates-in-the-news-aug-16-2019","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/news\/2019\/08\/16\/bates-in-the-news-aug-16-2019\/","title":{"rendered":"Bates in the News: Aug. 16, 2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

Michael Rocque<\/h3>\n

Megan Rapinoe did not stomp on the flag. Here\u2019s why people got outraged regardless \u2014 Newsweek<\/em><\/h5>\n

In Newsweek<\/em>, Associate Professor of Sociology Michael Rocque argued that a recent Twitter flareup \u2014 in which World Cup-winning soccer player Megan Rapinoe was accused of stomping on the American flag, when she\u2019d done no such thing \u2014 is part of a pattern of often-uninformed outrage on social media.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe temptation to jump to outrage is especially strong on social media, where our virtual communities of the like-minded, created by choosing our \u2018friends\u2019 and whom to follow, reinforce our preconceptions and can block any facts that get in their way,\u201d Rocque wrote.<\/p>\n

\"Michael<\/a>

Michael Rocque, associate professor of sociology. (Phyllis Graber Jensen\/Bates College)<\/p><\/div>\n

Anger spreads more easily online than other emotions, and collective anger paradoxically leads to feelings of affirmation and unity, Rocque wrote. \u201cWe’re wired to crave that collective anger.\u201d<\/p>\n

So before taking part in an online mob, he suggested, wait a second to get the facts.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen we see a meme, post or tweet that sparks that familiar tingle of outrage, take a minute to look into it, verify sources or, better yet, wait to see how the story unfolds once more information is gathered.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read the story:<\/p>\n