Virtue signaling is the act of conspicuously displaying ones awareness of and attentiveness to political issues, matters of social and racial justice, etc., especially instead of taking effective action. It is the expression of a conspicuous, self-righteous moral viewpoint with the intent of communicating good character. The term implies that an individual, company, or organization is only backing an idea to look good in the eyes of others and doesnt truly believe in the cause they publicly support. However, some people accused of virtue signaling may actually believe deeply in the cause they speak of and back their words with actions.

The term is often wielded as a sneering insult by those on the right against progressives to dismiss their statements as grandstanding. It is highly pejorative and often an accusation of “jumping on the bandwagon” of a popular cause.

Scientists have developed sophisticated analyses of signaling as a general phenomenon, and they tell us that virtue signaling is more nuanced and more interesting than the picture painted by conventional wisdom and political rhetoric. Virtue signaling can be a powerful force for social change by creating common knowledge around a moral issue that people would otherwise ignore out of complacency or selfishness.

In summary, virtue signaling is the act of publicly expressing opinions to demonstrate that you are a good person, but it has become muddied with placing more importance on the appearance of moral correctness than the correctness itself.