When did the Internet come to reflect society? Or has society shaped the internet? Were we always distrusting mean and vindictive before the net? Are we really that bad?

Don_Dickle@lemmy.world · 9 days ago

When did the Internet come to reflect society? Or has society shaped the internet? Were we always distrusting mean and vindictive before the net? Are we really that bad?

CerebralHawks@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 9 days ago

I think people were always mean online. But not everyone.

At one point, I was too. It didn’t last long because I had compassion and empathy and it just wasn’t that fun.

Then I easily reacted to vitriol and was easy to manipulate.

These days, I get mean replies or DMs and I just go “huh, okay” and then continue about my day. Stoicism. It may not do anything, but hey, I feel less bad about hate mail.

Rhynoplaz@lemmy.world · 9 days ago

Huh. I wonder if this is a thing.

The phases of Internet use:

Innocence: I have the world’s knowledge at my fingertips!
Troll: I’m bored, I’m going to fuck with people.
Defender: Don’t feed the trolls! This is sealioning!
Stoic: Whatever.