At first it was all about presenting data in an original looking way. In the end it was about pushing political ideas in your throat using a plain bar graph. It was not about sharing something interesting you found but about taking advantage of a captive audience.
r/UnpopularOpinion became a place to either validate some truly reprehensible views or say something well liked for internet points.
Thank you! I was racking my brain trying to recall the word/term for it and self-validation was the one I was trying to think of for the r/AITA, but you’re absolutely right - it can be applied to r/UnpopularOpinion as well.