KarlHeinzSchwukeAre We All Becoming More Hostile Online?
“Why are online discussions about politics more hostile than offline discussions?
A popular answer argues that human psychology is tailored for face-to-face interaction and people’s behavior therefore changes for the worse in impersonal online discussions…
Across eight studies, leveraging cross-national surveys and behavioral experiments (total N = 8,434), we test the mismatch hypothesis but only find evidence for limited selection effects.
Instead, hostile political discussions are the result of status-driven individuals who are drawn to politics and are equally hostile both online and offline.
Finally, we offer initial evidence that online discussions feel more hostile, in part, because the behavior of such individuals is more visible online than offline.”
This fits with our understanding of personality disorders, which is that they are a small percentage of our society—around 10.5 percent, according to the recent DSM-5-TR.3
I try to avoid all politics online because it’s all raging and it’s honestly depressing that 10.5% can dominate a space like that.
Then you probably won’t like the thought that an even smaller percentage of people who think they need to get ever richer and control ever more aspects of ever more people’s lives are basically ruining our offline world.
I would prefer a star trek utopia, that’s for sure.
I’ve always been a terse asshole.
jabathekekYour mother was a hamster. >:(
No you
ddash
UltragrampsAt least my father doesn’t smell like elderberries
But will you join us on our quest for the Holy Grail?!
yes and i don’t think it’s limited to politics either.
Try pitchhforks
vegetvsI think there are two sides to this. Yes, online aggression has probably peaked in recent years with the rise of worldwide pro far-right misinformation campaigns, no argument there. They were specifically targeted at the people more vulnerable to buy into hate speech propaganda.
On the other hand, I have personally noticed more constructive discussions, even after I deleted most of my anti-social media accounts and substantialy decreased my usage of Internet forums in general. It seems there's some positive trend in the middle of all that.
EngywookNot my experience. Just try to post some slightly unpopular opinion and good luck with the virtue signaling, whatever the topic is.
“Virtue signaling”
Hmmm that’s telling language.
What does “telling language” means? I’ve never heard that. Not a native speaker.
If you are implying that I’m defending “unpopular” stuff such as racism, sexism, or any kind of right-wing “free speech”, you’re plainly wrong. I’m talking about much less sensitive topics (technology, for instance). As an example, I’ve been attacked for saying that I profoundly dislike Mozilla and that I don’t care if the disappeared (they should, actually).
Give your imagination a rest.
Now you got me curious. What's the argument against Mozilla?
I’m not going to discuss that again, I’ve already wasted too much time explaining why I despise them, nor I’m going to apologize for celebrating their demise, when it comes. If you disagree, just start donating to them.
I think is one of the main reason for why there is such a lot of hostile discussion online, people read something which they infer as a hint of something they dont like and from there extrapolate into the worst person they imagine who could be saying that and proceed to righteously strike them down (with words).
No, fuck off, how very dare you suggest such a thing you horrid bastard you, just you wait, I’m going to punch you in the elbow and knock over your second-favourite house plant for insinuating such lies
Hey. You don’t talkt to op like this you fucking degenerate piece of shit, we’re all being nice to each other!
cosmicrookieI’ve blocked both of you idiots
EyedustYes. Next question, you SOB!
Meet Anon.
What a terrible headline. All of us? No. Next.
TL;DR: It’s the .mls’ fault. They’re assholes all the time, but we don’t see them offline because they don’t have jobs
Fuck .ml, but this is true everywhere. A lot of content and discussion is produced by the terminally online, and they are pretty much by definition not happy, well-adjusted people.
Venus_ZiegenfalleNo fucking shit we are. How did you crack that nut, Einstein?
Here’s the thing.
The last 10 years have proven that organized online hostility is VERY EFFECTIVE at dictating public opinion.
That’s how we got the new fascist movements. Trump and the like. Because right wing hostility and bigotry went not only unchecked institutionally but unchallenged socially.
No solution has emerged for that from an institutional level.
So yeah, my socialist ass is fighting back. I’ll be damned if I’m going to spend the rest of my life under these fucking wastes of flesh and their bullshit antiquated opinions. I’m done taking it and I’m done tolerating it. Fuck every last republican and homophobe and transphobe and complicit liberal. All of them. And wouldn’t you know it, little by little they’re backing down when we stand up to them like the cowards they are.
Yes, I am deliberately far more hostile online, because it WORKS. And clearly nobody with institutional control cares enough to try anything else.
1984The only problem is that you guys call everyone a transphone or homophobe or liberal or whatever, all the time. Its actually a bit funny because you dont see the forest for the trees. Everyone has to think exactly the same or they are THE ENEMY and need to be keyboard warriored into compliance with right-think :)
With age comes a bit more wisdom (ok maybe not for Trump). If you have calm discussions and listen, you will absolutely 100% see that most people are actually quite alright. Even if they dont like trans people, they will eventuelly get there, by having discussions and chats and seeing them in the real world.
I remember how this worked in Sweden where I live. At first, everyone was super racist. We had like 3 black people in school and they were of course bullied and thought of as very strange. This was in 1985 or something.
Now, decades later, its seen as strange if you dont have black people at a job, or see them everywhere. Because its normal.
The same thing will happen with trans people but you dont have to sit and hate people online to get there. It will happen as more trans people come out and join everyone else at work and in the cities, just normally.
I have seen it. So just relax guys. Dont hate.
Cmformity of thought, belief, or action isn’t the problem. The oroblem is treating some people or groups as less than human and not deserving of equal rights and opportunities.
Sir this is a Lemmy... WTF is you talking about?
Show where people on the are treated as less than human...
Your brain really is in the bin…
I remember how this worked in Sweden where I live
Yeah, things don’t work that way everywhere.
We tried being nice in America. It got us here.
You just go back to enjoying your ivory tower. We have actual problems here and your high road is not the solution.
How did you try being nice? You have a war on everything… Drugs, freedom, privacy… Im honestly not sure how you see yourself as being nice…
High road? Im also not sure how you took the high road. Im genuinely interested, maybe my perspective here is completely wrong.
Some of those were well intended over reactions.
- “War on drugs” was hyperbole to stoke up enthusiasm to fight against a real problem. And somehow ended with millions of broken lives, millions behind bars for victimless crimes, worse racism. Maybe it was taken over by racists, or maybe we all got caught up in the moment, but it was mostly not being able to face when it went wrong, then eventually only the worst conservatives were in charge
- “War on organized crime” also well intended hyperbole to mobilize effort against a real problem. People forgot lessons about whether the “means justifies the end”, and now after trying to get back to a normal life we’re left with legalized rights violations. “For our own good”, a surveillance state, more racism, legalized theft, and cops above the law. As we tried to recover, only the worst authoritarians were left in charge and it got worse quickly.
All of those things you mentioned were right wing power grabs.
Taking the high road was letting that shit become mainstream.
AlmaccaApart from anything, spending all that energy resisting change that’s coming anyway must be exhausting. It’s no wonder they’re so cranky.
Counterpoint: call out bigotry or fuck off
You know, those oneliners may sound cool when you are a teenager, but they are signs of a mind who thinks in absolutes, because there is no wisdom yet.
It will come through life and getting older. :)
Nah. Can almost guarantee I would have been on your side when I was your age.
The problem is these are the people who won’t get there, plus they’re harming a lot of people in the meantime.
Codger mode ….
Back when I was a wee young’un, I lived in a small town in a rural area. Republicans ideals made sense (whose not to like fiscal prudence), we read about the crime ridden horrors of big cities, read about the inbred fear of education down south, read about drugs destroying peoples lives, read about welfare queens, read about illegal immigrants and crime. We “weren’t racist” but those dark skin people were violent criminals. Products of our environments I guess.
Like you, I grew up. As I was exposed to a larger variety of people, I discovered they were people. As I saw more people in situations outside their control, I developed more empathy. As I got to know people with different preferences than mine, I learned their preferences didn’t do me any harm. Now decades later, it’s hard to understand the fear, oppression, racism, hatred, and it’s impossible to understand the unethical inconsistent self serving authoritarians that Republicans have become. I’ve seen it too. I apologize to everyone I hurt because it took years for me to grow into a better human being.
The problem is these are the people who never grew out of it. They’re the people who saw their friends and family expand their horizons, but retreated ever deeper into their holes. Theyre the people who saw progress and desperately yearned for a mythical past that never was. They’re the people who saw everyone else growing out of their limitations, and turned to extremism. They are not joining everyone else but have turned their backs and headed the other directions. They are the diehards wallowing in their misery who don’t care about anyone else’s misery. They are the righteous who have lost their way, cloaking their hatred, spite and corruption is self-righteous desperation. They are the self-centered stealing from society and stealing from the future. They are the limited viewpoint building ever higher walls rather than venturing out. They won’t change.
ThunderWhiskersIf you have calm discussions and listen, you will absolutely 100% see that most people are actually quite alright. Even if they dont like trans people, they will eventuelly get there, by having discussions and chats and seeing them in the real world.
Respectfully, you have no idea what you’re talking about. I live in Texas and I am surrounded by the conservative mindset. There is a chittering madness about these people that causes them to frenzy any time something triggers them as being “woke” or “trans” or in any way challenging to their narrow world-view. They cannot be reasoned with, I have tried far too long with no effect. Their beliefs are couched in white christonationalism and the stupid masses having their stupid beliefs vindicated by bad actors in positions of power.
There’s a war going on.
A war of ideas.
Yes. It is longer than just now though.
Some people deliberately come to social media for fighting. I probably used to. Maybe on occasion when I’m feeling cranky I will be less diplomatic than I really want to be.
But I find two things actually help:
Bluesky has a feature to mute keywords for a set period. If I need a break from news about Gaza, Trump, some trending drama, sports (like the World Cup), or just want to avoid spoilers, I mute the topic for a while.
Together, these tools make social media much less negative for me. It usually keeps me from doom scrolling or taking the rage bait.
And when I’m emotionally charged or unclear, I sometimes draft my comments elsewhere before posting. I let it sit for a bit, and if I can’t say what I mean with the tone and clarity I want, I just don’t post. Maybe 30% of my comments get binned—some after spending an hour or more working on them.
In short, I heavily curate my social interactions—both incoming and outgoing—to reduce stress and negativity. As a result, social media today is far more pleasant than it was ten years ago.
CryptagionismisogynistBlueSky is genuinely one of the least toxic socials I’ve had in a while. I can agree to disagree there on normal issues like whether UBI should be given in a lump sum, weekly, monthly- it’s not fucking assholes “debating” if aliens built the pyramids and whether we should drink our own pee or if good faith arguments are important or if it’s “natural” to be attracted to 14yr old girls as an adult man (all topics I’ve seen on Lemmy).
or if it’s “natural” to be attracted to 14yr old girls as an adult man (all topics I’ve seen on Lemmy)
Wait, what?
Yeah, there are a lot of men on here who really go to bat for pedophilia. Don’t even BREATHE a word about AI porn of children being immoral because it is modeled after irl children and can be made to blackmail kids etc. Don’t ever argue with any Muslim misogynists on here that child marriage is bad or that feminism in Islam is good. Never be upset that a man was saying it is “probably” not good for kids if they participate in sex acts (we have specific physiological signs like bedwetting that show CSA is inherently damaging to humans) but that it should be totally normal to have your kids WATCH you fuck because they probably did that in medieval times.
And people wonder why my bio recommends BlueSky
That’s one of those things where I’m happiest just not seeing or being part of that conversation. Those are unserious people and it’s pointless to pretend you can have a serious conversation about those things. And even if you could, what is the value to me to wade into the nuance of when it’s okay to find someone attractive when frankly it wouldn’t matter—if they didn’t act like aggressive horny assholes to anyone. I have 13 and 15 year old daughters. I don’t really care who finds them attractive, but I do care who disrespects them, and that’s not going to change when they turn 18, so again that conversation doesn’t need my presence at all.
I’ll agree that Bluesky is minimally toxic, but I also haven’t gotten a whiff of those kinds of conversations here on Lemmy, either. The most contentious ones were in the run-up to the elections and that’s just a tense time for everyone. And it’s hard to let opinions we vehemently disagree with run rampant when the consequences for getting shit wrong are… well… gestures at everything.
Yes, and it’s a good thing. The Paradox of Tolerance. If we want a world where people are free to choose and believe and live unique and different lives, we cannot stand by and do nothing while intolerant assholes live their lives.
Seems to be a positive trend happening. Instead of just nothing but toxic trolls. People are starting to push back on the mindless bullshit that is ruining the world.
Agreed, the toxic assholes have been here since the beginning, everyone else is just finally pushing back.
Fuck you!
KamiThe special group of people providing negativity are probably bots anyway.
Fuck you and I’ll see you tomorrow!
Vanilla_PuddinFudgeI’m not your you, buddy!
I won’t do what you tell me.
The special group of people providing negativity are probably bots anyway.