I had the realization that people tend to commit to a thing once they’ve actually said it aloud or typed it. It’s as if they trust themselves that they’ve fully thought through something by the time they are willing to actually state it.
This is helpful to realize, but also demonstrates some areas in which this is absolutely a terrible thing.
First, I want to point out that, in general, people tend to be a lot more careful with what they say in person. People are likely to react immediately if someone says something stupid or totally out-of-line. And in-person, if you get scolded or called-out, you tend to care more.
But online, people will say whatever comes to their mind. They don’t fear the consequences. They don’t care if someone calls them out. They have anonymity to shield them if what they said is stupid.
Not to mention the fact that they are likely to post in places where everyone is bound to agree with them anyway. It would seem that the method of choice by social media networks to avoid hostility and toxicity is to separate everyone into silos of people that already agree.
In person, people are far more likely to listen, to think, to gather information. Only after they’ve done those things are they comfortable giving an opinion.
And that’s a great thing!
They’re also more likely to change their opinion. If someone they respect and value is explaining something to them, they will be way more likely to listen with an open mind and work to find common ground.
Online, people just dig in. And when they inevitably fail to change any minds, they just go back to their silo and say the same things with people they know already agree.
As a result, people are more divided than ever, but just don’t talk about anything in person. They come to conclusions quickly and never have their ideas questioned. They then seek information that confirms their existing beliefs, and things just get worse.
I really hope that the newer generations that were raised on the internet can see through these things clearly, and that they are able to develop strategies to combat these things. Otherwise, I’m not exactly sure how humanity is supposed to recover.
It does seem like there is hope though. The boomers – who obviously had no experience with the internet and social media until they were already middle-aged, seem to be the least equipped to deal with this, and it shows.
Younger people do seem to be inherently tuned-in to these problems and as a result, might be able to avoid the worst of it.
It’s hard to say. I just hope things improve, because I don’t think the world is in a good place right now.