Influence Resilience in the Outrage Economy

Angertainment

Anger has become a business model.

Some call it the Outrage Economy. Rage manufacturers. Algorithms that turn frustration into belief before your official message gets a look in.

Most organisations are still managing reputation after the narrative has formed.

The smarter ones are learning how to see it coming.

Angertainment: How Social Media Outrage Ruined Everything by Ed Coper
Populares CEO, Ed Coper has published a new book on Angertainment — examining how outrage, algorithms and digital influence are reshaping belief, trust and reputation.

It is a practical guide for leaders operating in a high-scrutiny, high-volatility information environment.

“Ed Coper keenly explores and masterfully analyses the dangerous world of angertainment where so much of our politics now resides” - Malcolm Turnbull

Angertainment consulting
Think Angertainment is just a social media problem? Think again. Outrage is now a commercial lever, and organisations of every kind are exposed to it.
Framework illustrating spread of disinformation across digital channels
Brand
A price rise is no longer just a price rise. A customer complaint is no longer just a service issue. Each can become content, conflict and "proof" of something bigger. Reputation is now shaped in spaces your brand does not control.
Cycle of misinformation reinforcing audience beliefs
Leadership
Leaders and organisations doing the right thing can still become raw material for outrage cycles. Angertainers are not looking for wrongdoing. They are looking for engagement. That is a different problem with different solutions.
Online communities contributing to spread of false information
Stakeholders
Your audiences do not experience your organisation through your owned channels. They inhabit an information environment where algorithmically amplified emotion competes with - and often beats - your official narrative.
Angertainers don't hate your brand. They're mining it.
How do we build Influence Resilience?
  • A clear understanding of your exposure
    Many organisations discover their vulnerability at the worst possible time - when an outrage cycle is already running. Understanding how Angertainment works, where your organisation is most exposed and what the current narrative environment looks like is the essential first step.
  • A structured audit of your trust architecture
    Where is trust strong and where is it thin? Which narratives are forming around your organisation, your leadership and your sector? Ed leads a team that maps these dynamics before bad actors - or opportunistic ones - exploit them.
  • An actionable Influence Resilience strategy
    Waiting for an outrage cycle to hit means you are already behind. Populares works with leadership, communications, brand and strategy teams to build the structural resilience that makes organisations harder to destabilise - before the pressure arrives.
Why Populares?

Populares sits at the intersection of behavioural science, persuasion, communications and public opinion. The work is built on the research behind Angertainment - not abstract theory, but applied influence strategy for a different information environment.

Not theory. Applied influence strategy for organisations operating in high-pressure, high-scrutiny environments.