[idi banashapan]

I get what you are saying Dude111 and agree.

People have always been a darker personality on the internet than in real life. Social media, in the sense on the quick-drop messaging platforms, it's defnitely worse. However, it does happen elsewhere too.

The anonymity behind the avatar or the alias enables people to feel like they can lend a more brutal, 'I don't care what you thnk' approach when conversing. People feel they can type and post things they certainly wouldn't say to people's faces. It's far harder to be rude to somene to their face. It's the same principle used when if you think someone is going to be rude, belittle you or rubbish your performance in a work meeting - sit next to them. It's way harder to be abusive to someone sat next to you, than across the table where there is a physical divide to add psychological protection.

Of course, this doesn't mean everyone does behave in that way - some people act on that feeling, some don't. There has (historically at least), been no consequence for what people say on the internet. Effectively, it's been a protected environment for the perpetrators, but not the recipient.

There is also a noticable shift in those who grew up as the internet became a thing, and those who grew up with the internet fully fledged. Some people (my eperience would suggest those of around 35 and up) remain believing any forum should be treated as any other conversation; be civil, polite and respectful. Many others however (and my experience is that mostly, this is people early 30s and under), believe you can still be rude, dismissive, outright horrid to others, and that it is perfectly acceptable.

Of course, there are always exceptions, and so a teenage could remain polite and a 50 year old could be rude as hell. Any many will have started out one way and turned to the other, also. And whilst we can see all of these traits in face to face conversations as well, the prevalence of rudeness, I would agree, is far higher in the internet now than it was, and certainly more common that if you were to talk to someone in a restaurant.

Commenting online has become a throw-away passtime for most people. Those decent, in-depth conversations are very hard to come by these days. There's abig difference even here compared to 15-20 years ago. This site used to be full of fully-bown conversations. A barage of ideas, opinions and thoughts. Often, they were explored and questioned. Now, I often feel that if you say something someone doesn't like, or you simply disagree, it cna be taken as a personal insult and they become triggered. Of course, this is not always. And again, in my experience, Chris has always been really good at showing another side to a conversation in a courteous and polite manner. there are others I could mention by won't, who you simply cannot have a conversation or debate with, and often hit that verge of becoming rude.

Perhaps, as tends to be true, writing a comment online, as with sending a text or Teams message, the intent does not match the reception of the message. When reading something, so manby variables affect how that message is received; did that person have a bad day for example? Perhaps an attempt at humour can be lost. this happened to me here only the other day. I even posted what I thought was a funny fig to emphasise it was in good jest, but I got a respone that I felt (rightly or wrongly) that someone posted with negative intent.

I think you'll find that if there are enough people who have an inteet in the topic, have strong feelings or thoughts about it, and are able to express those in a civil, legitimate and eloquent manner, a good conversation or debate can be have. What I wouldn't want to see though, is everyone in there with the same views - then you ar only creating an echo chamber, utopia and back-slapping thread. I think that is just as disprutive as a lack of investment from others.

And so to that end, I would love to hear what others think. Perhaps I'm totally wrong? Perhaps I'm right but for the wrong reasons? Perhaps some agree and some do not? Who knows? Equally, in the grand scheme of things, does it even matter?