Why is internet so toxic? Is Toxicity necessary?

[Water1415]

Toxic is best

 

[Z-Saber]

I've been meaning to talk about this for a long time, and maybe I'm not the best person to address it, but here it goes. I wasn't always into forums or other venues where I had to interact with random strangers. My first real exposure to this was after starting One Piece in 2017. I would search for things like Zoro's power level and Luffy's power level and encountered a lot of insults, name-calling, and other negative behaviors. Eventually, I joined Oro Jackson and got engulfed in it as well.

My very first post was pretty straightforward, as I wasn't used to this kind of environment. In real life, people generally don't talk like that, at least not adults—unless, I guess, we are in prison, where real-life toughness is necessary. I simply made a post saying Rayleigh is of similar power level to Roger and that Zoro won't be far behind Luffy by the end of the story. I also suggested that Eustass Kidd, Akainu, etc., wouldn't surpass Zoro by the story's end. Right off the bat, a famous Oro Jackson user responded with "GET THE FUCK OUTTA HERE," and I thought, "Okay, so that's how things work here."

Looking further into discussions about power levels or any topic where there could be an argument, I found toxicity, insults, and name-calling were rampant. What triggered me the most was probably that before joining Oro Jackson, I used to read posts by this very nice user named Cinera. I think he is still on the forum, and I have never seen him insult anyone. Yet, there were two users named LOGIA and Celestial Dragon who constantly insulted him. I felt that was an injustice. I thought I had to fight fire with fire, and, well, I probably became one of the most toxic users ever.

But the issue goes beyond just anime discussions. I've seen insults in UFC forums, bodybuilding forums, YouTube comments related to movies, WWE—anywhere there's discussion. Why does there have to be toxicity? Is it because people are releasing pent-up anger that they can't express in real life due to a lack of immediate consequences?

Here are some possible reasons for this online toxicity:
When people are anonymous, they feel less accountable for their actions. This can lead to behavior that they wouldn't exhibit in face-to-face interactions.

In real life, being rude or aggressive can lead to immediate repercussions. Online, the consequences are often delayed or non-existent.

People tend to join forums and communities that reinforce their existing beliefs. When everyone agrees, dissenting opinions can be met with hostility.

he online disinhibition effect makes people feel freer to express their true feelings and thoughts without the usual social filters.

In competitive environments, people may become aggressive to assert their dominance or protect their ego. Tribalism can also play a role, with fans of different characters or ideas defending their "side" aggressively.

What do ya'll think?

I don't think toxicity is necessary unless you're receiving it unfairly. I do think that its important to be able to disagree, even passionately but when we get down to it, we shouldn't be directly insulting each other over conflict of opinion. Its fine to banter, to be aggressively persuasive in your argument, I think its even fine to not respect someone's intellect if they argue in bad faith, never providing any proof to back up their claims but its a fine line that many don't know how to tread. Every reason you laid out I believe is a contributing factor in toxicity, as well as a lot of people's own immaturity and there are even additional reasons for it. I don't think it'll ever die, but its on us as a collective community to manage it better. That doesn't mean banning every user who makes a rude post, it means not letting it consume us to the point to where we can't address anyone without feeling the need to hit first because for some reason we have this kill or be killed mindset when it comes to these forums and topics. There will always be toxicity but we shouldn't let it become our image.

 

[vikas]

Internet is not toxic... People always were and internet just became a platform for people to be toxic from behind a screen and Annoymous..... 99% of them won't be able to say the shit they say in real life same way if face to face.