I have been on reddit for just about 12 years now. Something I’ve noticed over time is just how hateful the place has become. A complete outrage machine. Every single sub became filled with it. I’ve filtered so many subreddits over the last few years, it’s insane. I don’t know enough about this place to be sure, but I do hope it doesn’t become the same type of echo chamber of anger.
do you think the world became more hateful alone, or it’s your own perception based in social media, or the social media changed the perception of a lot of people, making them hateful ?
honestly, i think the 3 poi ts are correctly, in it’s own way, statistic speaking violence was diminishing, it’s always was that, especialy with the evolution of society, media just made everything look worse, that maked people act more agreesively because everything was “falling apart” and media helped enhace this sentimentent too, like a snow ball, that’s what i think
While I do think social media, and regular news media, paid a large part in shaping the aggressiveness of modern society, there is a lot to be said about other aspects as well.
Global economic collapse caused by multitudes of reasons, rapid decline in mental health, a massive extinction event causing all sorts of forever-lasting trauma, and more are continuing to contribute to growing aggression in society at large.
People want to tell you how much they suffer as if it somehow makes them superior or better. But at the end of the day, everyone is suffering, and that’s bad. All suffering is bad. I don’t go around telling people my family members died because of a past injustice, not because their stories or lives are worthless, but because saying my bad position in life is because of what happened to them is just me blaming my dead family members for my situation. Or blaming some invisible, long-dead boogeyman. Either way, the root of the problem is refusing to accept that its up to me to work to change my situation, not just give up and stop trying.
And this refusal is only amplified in echo chambers often found on social media, and news media. Now more than ever, people are seeking out confirmation bias articles, and refusing to investigate anything that doesn’t agree with their opinion because they decided that one biased opinion piece means that entire site is compromised.
This is a complex problem, that quite frankly, if it was ever to be solved, would take thousands of years to unravel and undo.
It seems to me social media is making people more hateful. Anecdotal of course.