Online vs IRL Behavior

I think it's just because of internet. I bet they would be much nicer IRL.https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Online_disinhibition_effect

You'd probably be more empathetic in person; the Internet has a funny way of making people forget that not every ill-considered action is a window into a person's soul.

It's quite natural to disagree on many subjects.In person, there is an unspoken rule to establish some level of trust and comfort before discussing contentious subjects. Some go so far as to suggest avoid discussing religion and politics altogether.Online, the unspoken rule isn't present and as a result, people sometimes simply state what they think and how they feel without the natural consideration for the person they're interacting with.There's limited information

Internet people are usually a lot angrier than real world people. Hard to explain but they always seem a bundle of neuroticism and mental pathologies. HN is no exception.I find that when I participate I also start mimicking this behavior and insulation is required.Fortunately, nothing happened to small talk. I’m a talkative fellow and people still react cheerfully and converse with me. One can only suppose that everyone who hates this went online.

In real life you see a real human's body language and can see if you are upsetting them by being critical, which may make you uncomfortable and cause you to hold back.On the Internet I can bash anyone on any topic without obvious indicators that there is a real human being on the other end of the conversation that I may be hurting.Also this community tends to attract contrarians who believe they know better that the majority of people on many topics, for better or worse.

Just think of the average online discussion. Not HN, but other fora. Its not a pretty place. The impersonal nature of typing at each other, makes it easy to rant and be extreme.

You appear to be upset. I'm sorry that what I wrote made you think that I'm immoral and that I'm a piece of shit. This exchange exemplifies what started all these threads. That is, that it's better off for people to quit social media. Had we discussed this in person I'm certain you'd not think I'm a piece of shit.What's missing in internet discussions like this is the assumption we make about people when we first meet them in person. Namely, that the

Just a guess but it sounds like it’s the style of discussion common online bleeding into real life.

I don't think it has anything to do with "Western society", but rather the nature of internet discussions. They're impersonal. They're amenable to favoritism and the echo chamber effect. You can't interrupt somebody in the middle of a soapbox lecture to ask for clarification or offer counter-arguments. The atomic unit of discussion is the paragraph, at best, and your audience numbers in the hundreds. Basically, it's Permanent Debate Club.In my experience, pe

It's humorous, but hints at the truth that the anonymity and physical distance from other people leads some to be jerks. Most people are better behaved when speaking in person, even with people they disagree strongly with.