Studies have already shown that there has been an increase in suicides amongst younger people due to social media. Most of the studies suggest that people feel as if their lives don't match up to others whether it be due to money, material items, or seeing happy posts of outings with friends, family and S.O's. Those reasons are certainly valid however I'm curious about other reasons.
In general, I'm a person that likes to solve problems. The more challenging the better. I like sharing ideas. I like having to consider multiple paths of thought and how each thought can lead to a new decision or revelation of information. As part of that process I often enjoy answering questions of others because there's an opportunity to participate in the decision-making and learning process both for oneself and for the benefit of another (if requested). Often the decision process can lead to a joke or the formation of new ideas. And I see every new idea as a fresh learning opportunity, and every joke as a new opportunity to have fun. If there is no opportunity for productive discussion, I exit. Plain and simple.
However, now that the internet has so many keyboard warriors, people with less idealistic reasons for interacting, and maybe even more miserable people (in general) I find that the interactions on the internet are less satisfying. It seems that people read into your responses often form their own opinion about what you're saying (often wrongfully) then decide its their one opportunity to get on a soapbox. To be clear, I'm not talking about SS, or general discussions on more personalized and heated topics such as politics, religion, racism, suicide, etc. I'm talking about more generic things.
I'm also not saying that discussion is not welcome or useful. Even intense arguing can be welcomed if there are some ideas that need to be sussed out. However (in my perception) these are just people that seem to want an opportunity to show how wonderful they are, and maybe how dumb they think you are despite whether their contribution is relevant to the discussion at hand. Its almost as if they live to take the fun out of life or just simply rob others of the fun of pleasurable interactions that could be satisfying for all.
One example happened years ago on a travel forum. People would ask questions about the specific destination and many would chime in and answer. I'd sometimes reply with something witty, or maybe mention an odd issue that happened to me that they should be aware of. Or even just a speculative answer of something like the possibility of obtaining a fee and warning that others can avoid such an outcome (not necessarily that it happened to me.) Some of the responses were normal of course but it seems that there are always some that are just plain unnecessary. For example, one time a question was asked about exchange rates and I mentioned that the place operated on a standardized exchange rate and that no transactions were made in the local currency. This discussion turned into a lecture on exchanges rates, credit card fees and what they've done on all their trips to other places in the past, none of which was relevant to the current destination, discussion or much less accurate. I had been there; that person never had been.
Another time a person asked about a business application. I discussed something that happened regarding my interaction. I missed one of the checkpoints in their application processes. It wasn't that I intentionally skirted the process. I missed it because my information had changed. The business did not have a way to alter the original application. So I had to start the application process over which means I had two open applications. So I essentially missed the checkpoint in the first process because it was no longer valid and I was following the process in the 2nd application. Low and behold someone comes by and starts commenting about how I need to follow the rules in my application, I shouldn't have missed it and all this other non-applicable bullshit. Of course they had no idea that 1) the process was flawed, or 2) that I had a 2nd application; and the thought never crossed their mind to just ask a simple question: "why?"
Frankly speaking I just want to curse these people out but of course this makes YOU the bad guy; And of course if you do that you are now subjected to being expelled from the site. Everyone focuses on you putting someone in their place rather than the person who butted in with their stupid assumptions, their useless contribution and their dirty soapbox. So now one is left with a bunch a frustration regarding internet interactions that were intended to be fun and helpful but turned into something else due to no fault of one's own. As a result, I am now leery of helping others and participating in chats or discussions on the internet.
But this also happens IRL and when it happens I often ruminate about how I could have responded for days and weeks. So now in order to participate in anything I have to put my setting on "I don't give a fuck". But when that happens it really shows and pretty much I become a mean person which I hate.
I mean cmon. Even texting is a fucking job. There's the worry of responses being too long, too explicative, too often, being misconstrued, too disconnected, too touchy/feely or even being ignored which makes me feel like an idiot for even corresponding in the first place. Of course its worse in this case more so than the examples posed above because typically we are texting with people who are acquaintances and those who claim to be your friend. When this happens it makes you wonder if you even have any real friends. Its gotten to the point where I don't even bother to text with most people because I feel like the end result is going to be detrimental to my wellbeing by somehow confirming that I don't get people, I don't understand life, I'm a loser, or I just wasn't worthy enough to receive their response.
TLDR; I've gotten to the point where I think the internet and electronic communications are useless; but IRL communications are no better. I also think that most human beings are assholes and just a waste of time. I mean does it seems as if most people are just waiting for an opportunity to make you feel like a useless piece of shit for just simply opening your mouth, texting or even responding to a generic, informational, post (on a generic topics)?
In general, I'm a person that likes to solve problems. The more challenging the better. I like sharing ideas. I like having to consider multiple paths of thought and how each thought can lead to a new decision or revelation of information. As part of that process I often enjoy answering questions of others because there's an opportunity to participate in the decision-making and learning process both for oneself and for the benefit of another (if requested). Often the decision process can lead to a joke or the formation of new ideas. And I see every new idea as a fresh learning opportunity, and every joke as a new opportunity to have fun. If there is no opportunity for productive discussion, I exit. Plain and simple.
However, now that the internet has so many keyboard warriors, people with less idealistic reasons for interacting, and maybe even more miserable people (in general) I find that the interactions on the internet are less satisfying. It seems that people read into your responses often form their own opinion about what you're saying (often wrongfully) then decide its their one opportunity to get on a soapbox. To be clear, I'm not talking about SS, or general discussions on more personalized and heated topics such as politics, religion, racism, suicide, etc. I'm talking about more generic things.
I'm also not saying that discussion is not welcome or useful. Even intense arguing can be welcomed if there are some ideas that need to be sussed out. However (in my perception) these are just people that seem to want an opportunity to show how wonderful they are, and maybe how dumb they think you are despite whether their contribution is relevant to the discussion at hand. Its almost as if they live to take the fun out of life or just simply rob others of the fun of pleasurable interactions that could be satisfying for all.
One example happened years ago on a travel forum. People would ask questions about the specific destination and many would chime in and answer. I'd sometimes reply with something witty, or maybe mention an odd issue that happened to me that they should be aware of. Or even just a speculative answer of something like the possibility of obtaining a fee and warning that others can avoid such an outcome (not necessarily that it happened to me.) Some of the responses were normal of course but it seems that there are always some that are just plain unnecessary. For example, one time a question was asked about exchange rates and I mentioned that the place operated on a standardized exchange rate and that no transactions were made in the local currency. This discussion turned into a lecture on exchanges rates, credit card fees and what they've done on all their trips to other places in the past, none of which was relevant to the current destination, discussion or much less accurate. I had been there; that person never had been.
Another time a person asked about a business application. I discussed something that happened regarding my interaction. I missed one of the checkpoints in their application processes. It wasn't that I intentionally skirted the process. I missed it because my information had changed. The business did not have a way to alter the original application. So I had to start the application process over which means I had two open applications. So I essentially missed the checkpoint in the first process because it was no longer valid and I was following the process in the 2nd application. Low and behold someone comes by and starts commenting about how I need to follow the rules in my application, I shouldn't have missed it and all this other non-applicable bullshit. Of course they had no idea that 1) the process was flawed, or 2) that I had a 2nd application; and the thought never crossed their mind to just ask a simple question: "why?"
Frankly speaking I just want to curse these people out but of course this makes YOU the bad guy; And of course if you do that you are now subjected to being expelled from the site. Everyone focuses on you putting someone in their place rather than the person who butted in with their stupid assumptions, their useless contribution and their dirty soapbox. So now one is left with a bunch a frustration regarding internet interactions that were intended to be fun and helpful but turned into something else due to no fault of one's own. As a result, I am now leery of helping others and participating in chats or discussions on the internet.
But this also happens IRL and when it happens I often ruminate about how I could have responded for days and weeks. So now in order to participate in anything I have to put my setting on "I don't give a fuck". But when that happens it really shows and pretty much I become a mean person which I hate.
I mean cmon. Even texting is a fucking job. There's the worry of responses being too long, too explicative, too often, being misconstrued, too disconnected, too touchy/feely or even being ignored which makes me feel like an idiot for even corresponding in the first place. Of course its worse in this case more so than the examples posed above because typically we are texting with people who are acquaintances and those who claim to be your friend. When this happens it makes you wonder if you even have any real friends. Its gotten to the point where I don't even bother to text with most people because I feel like the end result is going to be detrimental to my wellbeing by somehow confirming that I don't get people, I don't understand life, I'm a loser, or I just wasn't worthy enough to receive their response.
TLDR; I've gotten to the point where I think the internet and electronic communications are useless; but IRL communications are no better. I also think that most human beings are assholes and just a waste of time. I mean does it seems as if most people are just waiting for an opportunity to make you feel like a useless piece of shit for just simply opening your mouth, texting or even responding to a generic, informational, post (on a generic topics)?
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