Into the Anger

“Into the Anger” is an interactive multi-platform approach that offers people of all backgrounds the possibility to express, reflect upon and utilise their anger.

The starting point of the project are emotions that are constantly being used in politics and in particular by populist parties to incite hatred and to push their agenda. These parties manage to thrive on the fears and insecurities of a vast number of people, turning these sentiments into anger, rage, and even violence. As a result, anger is mostly perceived to be a negative emotion that needs to be avoided. Alas, the opportunity it offers to unite and bring about positive change to existing social problems is often disregarded. 

Anger as an emotional state is difficult to grasp and define. Yet, at the same time, people need to be able to express this emotion in a healthy and productive way. Taking the findings of modern psychology, the thesis establishes a framework to define what the emotion of anger encompasses and what tools are effective to deal with it. 

Within that framework, the prototype “Into the Anger” offers both a website as well as an Anger Bus where people can record their anger and let an algorithm create a 3D shape of their emotion. Further reflections on the triggers and background of the anger will serve as a tool to deal with the underlying reasons before a communicative approach takes the users to an Anger Map. Within the map, ideas can be shared with the goal of transforming that initial anger into positive change.