Online Disinhibition Effect

Do you feel the internet is making people meaner? What might be some examples of this in our current world? Why do you feel this way?

    Yes, the internet is making people meaner. Some of examples of this is the existence of cyberbullying, the amount of trolls and negative comments, and the way that information can spread like wildfire.

    I feel this way because the internet gives people a place to separate their identity from their words. Under the guise of anonymity, people are extremely inclined to let go of their morals and inhibitions because they know that they won't get caught or linked back to what they did or said. So when behind a faceless profile, people are so much more likely to be meaner, be toxic, and be negative. Although this setting is only present on the internet, it can still have ramifications in the real world. For instance, cyberbullying can be incredibly damaging to many people, especially teenagers. People often feel fine or even have a sick sense of satisfaction by harming people online. Because things can spread so fast on the internet, rumors or attacks on people's characters can too. So if a teenager were to have something bad about them spread around, they would be experiencing the ramifications in person. I once saw an instagram account request to follow me and the account's name had literally been calling a girl from school a "whore"; the only posts on that account were slut shaming her. Obviously, whoever was behind the account had no visible connection to it and they were perfectly okay with saying such disgusting things about someone who they likely know in real life. Other examples include the harassment people face, doxxing, and often times threats said online. Without the internet, people wouldn't be so willing to be as awful to one another because of the fact that it can much more easily effect themself in real life and can be linked back to them.

    Another possible way that the internet is making people meaner is because it can easily reveal the truth about many real life situations that absolutely suck and can make people jaded. There's so many horrible things happening around the world and before the instant communication from across the globe, people were so much less aware of what was happening in other places or even in other parts of their own country. However, the internet provides and instant way for this information to spread and be seen, thus allowing people to see the harsh realities. This is important because it can push people into action against it. But it can also make people feel terrible about the world we live in and make them jaded. This can be somewhat seen by those moral polices online and in the real world who shame other people for "supporting problematic figures", "perpetuates the horrible system", and for "being ignorant." People who do this think that they are in the right for shaming those people because of the fact that doing those things can possibly make the situations worse. I do believe that there are actions that can be done to help with issues in the world, like the boycotting of companies that support Israel or not supporting creators who are genuinely horrible people, but that is never a good reason to be shaming someone for not doing the same, especially if they aren't aware.