I can’t abide an unnecessary question hed.
When I scroll through social media, I often leave demoralized, with the sense that the entire world is on fire and people are inflamed with hatred towards one another. Yet, when I step outside into the streets of New York City to grab a coffee or meet a friend for lunch, it feels downright tranquil. The contrast between the online world and my daily reality has only gotten more jarring.
Since my own work is focused on topics such as intergroup conflict, misinformation, technology and climate change, I’m aware of the many challenges facing humanity. Yet, it seems striking that people online seem to be just as furious about the finale of The White Lotus or the latest scandal involving a YouTuber. Everything is either the best thing ever or the absolute worst, no matter how trivial. Is that really what most of us are feeling? No, as it turns out. Our latest research suggests that what we’re seeing online is a warped image created by a very small group of highly active users.
the sense that the entire world is on fire
Leaving aside the massive literal heatwave and multi-state wildfires and global-warming-accelerated flooding happening just this month and all… we’re literally seeing a campaign of race-based kidnappings and trafficking by the government, the deployment of active duty military personnel in the streets, and a DOJ arguing that the President is not bound by law or court orders.
If you don’t think the world is on at very least metaphorical fire, I don’t know what to tell you, Guardian author. “I can get my coffee in peace without thinking about that stuff” is not some brag.
“I can get my coffee in peace without thinking about that stuff” is not some brag.
bragging about their privilege
Let me tell you how excited I am that we’re getting yet more slow-moving heavy rains.
In a recent series of experiments, we paid people a few dollars to unfollow the most divisive political accounts on X. After a month, they reported feeling 23% less animosity towards other political groups. In fact, their experience was so positive that nearly half the people declined to refollow those hostile accounts after the study was over. And those who maintain their healthier newsfeed reported less animosity a full 11 months after the study.
Found this bit interesting
After a month, they reported feeling 23% less animosity towards other political groups.
This sounds like a call to be willfully ignorant of the serious political shit going down around them. That’s how you get the average idiot who doesn’t understand why voting for a guy like Trump is a bad idea.
You should be fucking angry and have more animosity towards other political groups, or you aren’t paying attention. Nazis should be called out.
Yeah it’s kind of like the psychological advice to let go of things you can’t control. That’s fine when it’s your annoying boss (within limits) but not fine when it’s mass kidnappings.
Wait can I get paid too? I don’t follow any politicians on social media. Sign me up!
Spoon found in kitchen. More from Tom at 7
SM is designed to react to clicks and content that riles people up and consequently creates more clicks. Consciously disengaging from the shit gibbons will make every ones life better but it goes against the base ‘more clicks = more ad revenue’
I delete all my social media periodically for similar reasons.
Even communities of people who are really level headed and supportive, like academics and engineers. Eventually there is groupthink, tribalism, and generally people who I am over (and I’m sure it’s mutual)
This is such an incredibly important message for us to understand. Thank you for bringing it to our attention. I can only hope that more and more people learn this.
- At least on Lemmy, this is definitely what I’ve observed. If you look at any thread that’s full of sturm und drang, it’s usually a tiny handful of accounts that are creating all of it (and then roping other people into their hostility, like a little chain reaction, like Chernobyl.) If you look at the impact, it just looks like everyone’s an asshole, but if you look at the root of the trouble, you realize most people are fine and a tiny minority are noisy and hostile and they can just get everyone else spun up.
- I agree, if you’re in NYC right at this moment in history and you can’t see a bigger picture of things worth getting heated up about than White Lotus, you should talk with people in your community more.
You’re welcome.
It’s like product reviews. The people leaving a review are either angry about the product or are so pleased they feel a need to tell the world about it. Most people, on the other hand, just use the product, have a perfectly average opinion of it, and don’t feel a need to tell the world. What makes things seem awful or great is you don’t usually know what percentage of the overall customer base they represent. Fifty bad reviews can be a red flag or noise depending on how many customers there are.
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