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Algorithmic Polarisation

CT203
Module 3: Synthetic Outrage
3 Lessons

How anger and falsehood are manufactured and spread at scale.

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Synthetic Outrage

1

Rage Bait and the Outrage Loop

Understand how platforms and content creators deliberately trigger anger to capture attention, and how the economics of engagement reshape what we see and feel.

25 min
Theory
Examples
Quiz
Critical Questions
2

Why Falsehoods Outrun Corrections

You will understand the psychological and structural reasons why false claims spread faster and stick longer than accurate rebuttals, and how to build resistance to this pattern.

25 min
Theory
Examples
Quiz
Critical Questions
3

Manufactured Controversy: Bots, Astroturfing and False Consensus

You will understand how artificial participation and coordinated inauthentic behaviour create the illusion of grassroots outrage, and how to recognise the structural markers of manufactured controversy.

25 min
Theory
Examples
Quiz
Critical Questions