Moral Grandstanding
Using moral talk to flex your status, not to actually make anything better.
Grounded in the research on Moral grandstanding (Wikipedia); Political posturing (Wikipedia)
What is moral grandstanding?
It's using public moral talk to make yourself look good instead of to actually do good. Philosophers Justin Tosi (Texas Tech) and Brandon Warmke (Bowling Green) coined it in their 2016 paper and 2020 book 'Grandstanding: The Use and Abuse of Moral Talk.' The takes can even be correct. Grandstanding isn't about being wrong, it's about WHY you're posting: the point is the applause, not the cause.
What's the actual mechanism?
Tosi and Warmke call it the 'Recognition Desire' — the want to be seen by your group as morally respectable, impressive, on the right side. Moral talk becomes the vending machine you hit for status. You're not contributing to the conversation, you're contributing to your reputation, and dressing it up as principle.