Skip to main content

University of Michigan School of Information

Menu

Media Center

UMSI welcomes media inquiries

Lampe: Luigi Mangione posts speak to “broader societal dissatisfaction” against California insurers, corporate power

Quoted by Newsweek. Professor Cliff Lampe. Luigi Mangione resurfaces as symbol of anger against California insurers.

Thursday, 01/16/2025

By Noor Hindi

Americans are angry at insurance companies. For better or worse, some have found a hero in Luigi Mangione, the suspect charged in the UnitedHealthCare CEO killing. 

With parts of Los Angeles on fire, and several insurers operating in California cutting home insurance policies, people are taking to social media to express dissatisfaction. 

Luigi Mangione is back in the spotlight. University of Michigan School of Information professor Cliff Lampe, an expert on social media, says these posts are indicative of “societal dissatisfaction with the status quo.” 

"With both increased income inequality and at least a perceived sense of lack of agency around corporate power, people turn to social media expression to vent and engage in a flexible dialog about societal issues,” Lampe says. “Through darkly humorous posts, expressions of admiration, sarcasm and other forms of rhetoric, people are rebuilding a sense of agency by reacting to their personal audiences."

RELATED 

Read “Luigi Mangione Resurfaces As Symbol of Anger Against California Insurers” from Newsweek. 

Cliff Lampe is a professor of information and the associate dean of academic affairs at UMSI. Learn more about him.