After completing the viral challenge and thinking about controversy as a way to compel readers to care about your work, I realized that controversy in general is desirable. This may be kind of a vague idea but I find it particularly pervasive when thinking about controversy in the media. Controversy makes headlines, spurs debate, and can generate profound changes in public opinion and policy. I think part of the reason controversy is so desirable is that it facilitates the open discussion of contradicting viewpoints. With the inception of the internet, opinions from all corners of the globe that might have never confronted each other can do so safely and virtually. In addition, usually what creates a good, stirring controversy is a sense that sky high stakes are at risk for all of the parties involved.
