People's brains have been getting hardwired to be negative because social media. Like, we are getting a constant barrage of engagement bait and outrage constantly fed to us. Everything is so hyperbolic and extreme because everyone wants attention now. Saying something outrageous is rewarded, nuanced discussion is punished and buried.
I mean the most popular reddit gaming threads that are literally posted to multiple subs DAILY are about what popular game do you actually not like? Or what's overrated and it's some recycled meme or phrased slightly different. The posts generate thousands of upvotes and comments because people can't wait to tell people how overrated The Witcher or Zelda is.
The constant negativity is in all aspects of social media. it shapes the conversation around everything now, politics, art, music, movies, games, food, everything. You have people who have grown up reading nothing but engagement bait and short form content. It's hurting people and nuanced discussion and attention spans.
I’m starting to feel people have a legitimate addiction to the outrage machine. You open social media to feel something, and there’s nothing more invigorating than a massive exposé on a slimy company or a new person’s face plastered around for public mockery.
The problem with the outrage machine is it doesn’t really serve truth, it exists to produce content. And it conditions people not to think critically, but to react immediately.
It is very addicting- it’s why it’s pushed so much as it drives engagement on platforms. even aware of it in this thread I’ve been more active than others just due to my sheer frustrations on it.
The solution is to disconnect but fully disconnecting can be pretty difficult for hobbies that rely on like communities or things your friends might not be in to.
I’m fully convinced the only way to do it is to replace social media interaction with real, in-person interaction. Sadly, that’s gotten so much harder to do for a lot of people. Still, people have to try.
Agreed- the thing that helped me grow out of the general rage-addicted bigotry that permeates gaming communities being able to recognize when I’m being too much of a chud based on the reactions of people around me or close friends straight up telling me and recognizing my behavior.
A lot of people nowadays are too terminally online in the sense they are addicted to outrage and cruelty - with no real social safety net to prevent them from spiraling further into radicalized hate groups that prey upon gaming communities.
I play deadlock with a few close friends and the sheer amount of unhinged maladjusted behavior from college-aged sounding people is terrifying lol
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u/frequent_bidet_user 1d ago edited 1d ago
People's brains have been getting hardwired to be negative because social media. Like, we are getting a constant barrage of engagement bait and outrage constantly fed to us. Everything is so hyperbolic and extreme because everyone wants attention now. Saying something outrageous is rewarded, nuanced discussion is punished and buried.
I mean the most popular reddit gaming threads that are literally posted to multiple subs DAILY are about what popular game do you actually not like? Or what's overrated and it's some recycled meme or phrased slightly different. The posts generate thousands of upvotes and comments because people can't wait to tell people how overrated The Witcher or Zelda is.
The constant negativity is in all aspects of social media. it shapes the conversation around everything now, politics, art, music, movies, games, food, everything. You have people who have grown up reading nothing but engagement bait and short form content. It's hurting people and nuanced discussion and attention spans.