You’ve seen it. It’s that one person on your feed who changes their profile picture to a specific filter the second a tragedy happens, or the brand that suddenly cares about the environment for exactly one month out of the year. It feels off. You might even roll your eyes. That gut feeling has a name, and while most people call it "virtue signaling," the digital version—virtual signaling—is essentially the art of broadcasting your moral goodness online without actually having to do much of anything.
It’s easy. It's fast.
We live in a world where your digital footprint is basically your social resume. If you aren't posting about the "right" things, people start to wonder why. But here’s the kicker: humans have been doing this forever. We just used to do it with the clothes we wore or the pins on our lapels. Now, we do it with pixels.
What is virtual signaling actually?
Basically, it's the act of expressing opinions or taking stances on social media to demonstrate your own good character or "wokeness" to a specific audience. The term was popularized by journalist James Bartholomew back in 2015, though the concept goes back further into evolutionary biology and "costly signaling theory."
In the physical world, signaling usually costs you something. If you want to show you're a hard worker, you have to actually work hard. In the digital world? Signaling is cheap. It takes three seconds to share a black square or a hashtag. This "low-cost" nature is why the term often carries a negative weight. It implies that the person is more interested in looking good than doing good.
Is it always bad? Not necessarily. Some people use their platform to genuinely move the needle on important issues. But when the action stops at the "Post" button, that's when we enter the territory of empty virtual signaling.
The Psychology of the Digital Badge
Why do we do it? Honestly, it’s a dopamine hit. When you post something that aligns with the "correct" moral stance of your tribe, you get likes. You get shares. You get that warm, fuzzy feeling of belonging.
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Geoffrey Miller, an evolutionary psychologist and author of Virtue Signaling: Essays on Darwinian Politics and Free Speech, argues that our brains are hardwired for this. We are social primates. We need the group to like us to survive. Back in the day, being kicked out of the tribe meant you’d probably get eaten by a lion. Today, being "canceled" or ignored by your digital tribe feels just as life-threatening to our lizard brains.
The "Cost" Problem
There is a huge difference between someone who spends their weekends volunteering at a soup kitchen and someone who tweets "No one should go hungry." Both are expressing a moral value. Only one is providing a caloric value.
Economists look at this through the lens of "cheap talk." If a signal is free to produce, it’s usually less reliable. If a company spends $10 million to overhaul its supply chain to be carbon neutral, that's a high-cost signal. If they just put a green leaf on their logo for Earth Day? That’s virtual signaling.
Real Examples (and When They Backfire)
Let's talk about the 2020 "Blackout Tuesday" incident. Millions of people posted plain black squares on Instagram to show solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement. It was the definition of a viral trend.
But what actually happened?
The sheer volume of black squares actually drowned out important information. Activists were trying to use the #BlackLivesMatter hashtag to share resources, legal aid info, and protest locations. Instead, they found a wall of empty black boxes. This is a prime example of how virtual signaling can actually be counterproductive. It made the posters feel like they were "doing something" while inadvertently sabotaging the people on the ground.
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Then you have corporate examples. Remember when Pepsi released that ad with Kendall Jenner? They tried to signal that they were part of the "protest culture" without actually standing for anything specific. It was widely mocked because the signal was so transparently fake. People have a very high "BS meter" for this stuff now.
Is Virtual Signaling Ruining Discourse?
Some people think so. When every conversation becomes about proving you are the most "virtuous" person in the room, nuanced discussion dies. You end up with "outrage cycles."
- Something happens in the news.
- People rush to post the "correct" take to avoid being seen as indifferent.
- Anyone who asks a clarifying question is labeled an enemy.
- Everyone moves on to the next thing in 48 hours.
This creates a shallow environment. It prioritizes the performance of belief over the substance of belief. However, we have to be careful not to use "virtual signaling" as a weapon to silence people we simply disagree with. Sometimes, people are just genuinely passionate about a cause and want to share it. Dismissing every online statement as signaling can be its own form of cynical posturing.
How to Spot the Difference
If you're wondering if a post is just virtual signaling or a genuine attempt at change, look for these markers:
- The "Me" Factor: Is the post more about the issue, or more about how much the poster cares about the issue? If there are more selfies than statistics, you have your answer.
- Actionable Content: Does the post provide a way to help, a place to donate, or a specific piece of educational material? Or is it just a vague sentiment?
- Consistency: Does this person or brand talk about this issue when it's not trending?
- Risk: Is there any risk to the person posting? If they are saying something that 100% of their followers already agree with, it's a safe signal. It's essentially preaching to the choir to get an "Amen."
The Shift Toward "Vocal Silence"
Interestingly, we're seeing a new trend: the "silence is violence" mantra. This actually forces people into virtual signaling. If you don't post about a specific event, it's assumed you support the "bad side."
This pressure creates a lot of performative content. People who don't even understand the complexities of a geopolitical conflict feel forced to post an infographic they haven't read just to stay "safe" in their social circles. This doesn't help the cause; it just creates a lot of digital noise.
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Breaking the Cycle: Action Over Pixels
If you actually care about a cause and want to avoid the trap of empty signaling, you have to move beyond the screen. It’s okay to post. It’s okay to share. But don't let the "Share" button be the end of your involvement.
Audit Your Digital Habits
Stop and think before you hit "Post." Ask yourself: "Am I doing this because I want to help, or because I want people to see me helping?" There is a massive difference.
If you want to be effective, try these steps instead of just signaling:
- Donate Silently: You don't have to post the receipt. The money works just as well without the Instagram Story.
- Read a Book, Not an Infographic: Deepen your understanding of a topic through long-form content. Infographics are designed for virality, not nuance.
- Local Action: It's easy to have an opinion on global affairs. It's much harder (and more impactful) to attend a local town hall meeting or help a neighbor.
- Engage in Hard Conversations: Talk to people who disagree with you. In real life. Without an audience. You’ll find that the "good vs. evil" narrative of social media falls apart pretty quickly when you’re looking someone in the eye.
Virtual signaling is a permanent part of our digital architecture now. It’s how the internet is built. But we don't have to be slaves to it. By recognizing the impulse to "perform" our goodness, we can start to reclaim our actual values and put them to work where they matter most—in the real world.
Stop worrying about looking like a good person and just go be one. The world has enough hashtags; it needs more hands.
Next Steps for Impactful Engagement
To move beyond the performative nature of virtual signaling, start by choosing one cause that truly resonates with you. Instead of posting about it, commit to a "Low-Signal, High-Impact" month. This involves setting a recurring small donation to a vetted non-profit, spending two hours a week learning from primary sources (books or documentaries rather than social clips), or finding a local organization where you can contribute physical time. This shift moves the focus from external validation to internal integrity and tangible results.