The rise of social media and the internet has brought about a paradoxical transformation in society, fostering both enhanced connectivity and rampant negativity.
A user asked the forum, “Mean people, why do you say mean things to people online?”. Let’s look at the top responses.
THERE ARE NO CONSEQUENCES ONLINE
“Because people’s inhibition against indulging in antisocial behavior is linked to their physical proximity to the targets of that behavior. If you are rude or abusive in person, there is a possibility of being punched in the mouth; online, there is no such consequence.”
COMFORTABLE DISRESPECTING PEOPLE
“Social media made them all way too comfortable with disrespecting people and not getting punched in the face for it.”
BAD HEALTH
“Depends, sometimes I have low blood sugar, and sometimes there are too many weeds in my front yard. Either one can set me off.”
IT’S BECAUSE OTHERS SPREAD HATRED
“I spend most of my day being nice and empathetic to people. I like to think I have a very long temper. But if someone is being willfully ignorant or spouting some hateful nonsense, then I have no issue with being mean to them.
There are lines I do not cross, though. I won’t harass anyone or take it to a personal level. Try to always be a good person, but we’re all human at the end of the day, and sometimes those negative emotions leak out.”
CAN’T STAND ARROGANCE
“I can’t stand arrogant, ignorant, and stupid people. I’m not Einstein myself, but people who are willingly stupid and ignorant, especially on the internet, in the year 2023 just set me off in a way that nothing else can.
Asking stupid questions (yes, there are stupid questions) which could have been answered in a 10-second Google search.
It’s normal not to know everything, but you have the tools to get the answer for almost everything in your pocket.
IT IS ANONYMOUS
“Because I am an anonymous loser who doesn’t have to look you in the eye when I say my stupid things.”
PEOPLE WHO DON’T UNDERSTAND A JOKE OR LOGIC
“I try very hard to be nice to everyone, but resentment often kicks in.
Especially when dealing with these types:
A person who lives to create fan-fiction to excuse and fix issues with shows. I don’t care about your impressive writing project, and I was just pointing out a thing that I saw.
A person who does not understand humor or irony ignores that you are joking and then reframes a question in a serious manner: “Why would you ever do x or say y when everyone knows the smartest people do z? Glad to help.”
People who don’t understand what an opinion is.
People that don’t understand what a fact or logic is.
People who deliberately don’t understand.”
IT IS RESPONSE TO OTHERS RUDE WORDS
“I argue with people online a lot, but I usually don’t get mean unless they do first.”
ASKING BASIC QUESTIONS
“I’m just tired of people asking basic questions when a single Google search would give them all the answers. It’s lazy. It’s ignorant. It’s annoying. Learn to google, man.
And sure, I could just scroll by and not bother. But since the rise of Reddit and the downfall of forums, most of the places where I went to discuss my interests are either gone or just devoid of active users.
So that leaves Reddit. Because of the way Reddit and its subs are structured, you only get one sub per topic and suddenly, all you see are the constant, repetitive basic questions by people who are either too lazy or too dumb to do a basic Google search.
In turn, the onslaught of idiots then buries actual interesting conversations under an avalanche of questions that have been answered literally hundreds of thousands of times. This, in turn, then drives knowledgeable people with experience away from those subs, so you end up in a situation where beginners who have been there a week give “advice” to people who have been there a day, and everyone just gets more and more stupid.”
THEY ARE BLOWING OFF THE STEAM
“Most of us aren’t mean; it’s just sometimes we run into stupid people on here. Because it’s relatively consequence-free, blasting an idiot can be a fun way to blow off steam.
Those malicious people are another story. Usually, they are troll-like dweebs or just broken people lashing out. It’s for the same reason as above, but there is a line that I think most Redditors agree upon and enforce.”
I NEED A PLACE TO SPEAK MY TRUTH
“Because I have to always pretend to be nice and agree with everyone in real life, I need a place to speak my truth.”
PEOPLE ARE EASILY OFFENDED
“Because you are all incredibly soft and easily offended. I could say the most take, and you’ll jump on it like I murdered your firstborn.
I believe in online bullying because some people need it; it is mind-boggling that some people are chronically online and still as offended as they are. It’s the same for in-person, and I’d make fun of people like you and them and everyone else. If there were more people being mean, maybe the world wouldn’t be so soft and quiet.
I have freedom; you are stuck in a cage of insecurities.”
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This article was originally published on Mrs. Daaku Studio.