We (yes, WE) as a society really seem to know how to bully each other. I see it time and time again, somebody online does something that could be seen as “weird”, “cringe” and everything in between . Now, in a scenario like this, we actually have a few options in our toolbox and can do one of the following:

• A. Scroll
• B. Log off
• C. Comment some dumb s#*t.

or…

• D. Dox OP and leak their address, financial information, personal life, and then tell them that “they had it coming” since they disagreed with you on which anime character is the strongest and will end Wanda!

we are no strangers to being vocal about how we feel regarding other people’s lives, experiences, and opinions. But my question is, how did we even get here in the first place? Believe it or not, internet comments sections were not always like this, all the time. What if I told you that there was once a point where there was more positivity and overall neutrality on the web rather than constant hate and trash-talking? You may be shocked (if you’re young enough)!

I like to believe that each era has had its own profound impact on the way that people interacted with the internet, ever since its conception. To put it simply, I think that the way people use and communicate with each other on the web reflects the time period that they’re in. For example, the internet used to be a place that you’d VISIT. You wouldn’t necessarily have attached to you all the time. Think back to the family computer room: all the time spent on Club Penguin (or ToonTown, if you were like that…), the evenings spent playing on TV channel websites, to even just emailing someone or playing a computer game, the computer used to be an escape from reality. Now, it feels like it is reality. Many of us are carrying literal supercomputers in our pockets at nearly all times (even while we sleep)! This is what I feel made people a lot more comfortable with being rude online. It’s so integrated into our everyday lives that you can’t really escape it. It’s also a way that you can say nearly anything you want if you have just enough anonymity to not get you jumped by that afternoon. We can’t forget about the the huge rise in short form content such as TikTok and Instagram Reels. Bite-sized content has taken over and, in turn, could be drying our attention spans (and our empathy).

Now, I’m doing a lot of talking and complaining about what’s wrong with the web. So, to end this off, let’s come up with some solutions to the problems presented and discuss some ways that we can combat all that negativity:

• Try to have some empathy for others.

it’s very easy to listen to other people’s stories and experiences and feel as though we would never be in those same situations. You never know when it could be you (trust me, I’ve been there). But, even if you truly never will be, try to at least think about what you would do, how you would feel, and maybe even how your loved ones could react to you being in certain situations.

• Love thy neighbor!

A lot of us forget that, despite how different we are in some aspects, there are many other traits shared experiences that we all could have in common. Like I say on the blogs homepage: everyone, everywhere, is always connected!

• SCROLL!

But let’s say that somebody is seriously getting on your last nerves. You feel your blood boiling. Maybe their opinion is just dead wrong! Remember this: we are ONLINE!!! We’re on the internet! I can almost guarantee that nine times out of ten, there’s a chance that you may not even know the person you’re talking to personally. So, don’t stress! Scroll. Log off. Block if you feel so inclined <3. Try your best to protect your peace

If you take nothing away from this, just attempt to keep in mind the following: we’re all just binding behind private accounts and profile pictures. It’s almost never that deep.

“We’re all trapped in a maze of relationships. Life goes on with or without you.”

– Pursuing My True Self, from the Persona 4 video game.

thanks for sticking around this far to the end. I can tell that you care about making the internet a better place. But, if you don’t, we can always fight in the comments! <3

– This is Aaron reporting live from a Culver’s table (and likely loitering at this point), over and out!