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[Go_Ly_Dow]

I noticed myself when either debating or disagreeing with others online I'd use a more confrontational tone that I wouldn't use in the real word when talking to real people. So recently I've began making the conscious effort talk to people online like I would talk to people in the real world.

It's a simple notion, but one perhaps many forget on the Internet. Given the amount of hatred you see people throwing at each other on social media (X, YouTube comments, forums etc..)

I dunno, but maybe rather than trying radical ideas or throttling freedoms, such as someday ending online anonymity, we'd see a better outcome from simply encouraging others and also teaching future generations to abide by that one principle as a starting point. Especially considering how much time people will spend and are going to spend on the Internet going forward.

Anyway enough late night ponderings. Night all and peace.

 

[Mistake]

I'm much better about it on smaller places or forums than giant places like twitter. People really weren't designed for this kind of interaction

 

[Jinzo Prime]

I know I write things on here that I would never say in real life. I probably should work on that, but grandstanding and hyperbole are kind of expected on the Internet.

 

[Happosai]

I keep it close to real life. There are opinions I have which are contraversial but equally easy to keep a lid on. Simply don't post an opinion on everything. There's a balance here to being myself without doxxing to a social media extent and yet feeling comfortable not being a total stranger the same.

 

[BlackTron]

No matter how much you try and teach future generations it's always going to default back to human nature.

 

[Cyberpunkd]

I noticed myself when either debating or disagreeing with others online I'd use a more confrontational tone that I wouldn't use in the real word when talking to real people.

Because being a dick to people in real life has consequences, unlike when done online.

 

[StreetsofBeige]

I keep it close to real life. There are opinions I have which are contraversial but equally easy to keep a lid on. Simply don't post an opinion on everything. There's a balance here to being myself without doxxing to a social media extent and yet feeling comfortable not being a total stranger the same.

Me too.

The only sites I do interaction with other people is fam/friends on FB and here on GAF talking games or OT. I have a linkedin and have never posted one message except giving a few recommendations because a couple old coworkers kept bugging me to write about them. And I wouldnt call any quick posts I do on stocks or sports chats real interaction because I'll post something quick for laughs and not give a shit if anyone responds. The posts move so fast hardly anyone responds to anything.

Regardless, my writing is similar to offline. Similar to work. I act like the same person in front of the CEO than my pub buddies (minus crude shit like cussing or talking hot chicks in front of people.... but trust me behind closed doors or lunch even the most straightlaced VP or CEO lets his toilet humour side out). But I'm basically the same guy. It makes life easier if people arent being different and fake. I've even been told by bosses sometimes I'm too casual in front of a room. But hey, thats my style. And I think most people appreciate others being genuine faults and all vs a guy pretending to be what he's not. The worst are people at the office who brownnose acting fake around bosses. Trust me folks, manager Tom knows when you're sucking up when you got a smile on your face saying... "Oh Tom, lol. You're such a funny guy! Thats why I like working here!". On the outside Tom smiles and goes with it, but inside he thinks youre the biggest moron.

As for general internet chat being less hostile, I guess everyone can try that. But sometimes hey, you got to respond hard back when push comes to shove. Every day life people do working, walking around, family life, shopping etc.... are all set using laid back and logical reasoning and rules as a whole. Thats' why life is a lot more calm than if this was the Genghis Khan days of killing, pillaging and innocent people not knowing if his army will show up one day at their village taking it over as his 500th town. But most people's surroundings do not resemble minefields (not in a literal sense). But when you got a lot wacky people dragging down society with their wacky views, sometimes you just got to put them in their place. Or at minimum sit back like the Michael Jackson popcorn gif and watch themselves make idiots of themselves. Free social media for weird outcasts gave them a voice which is often in poor choice. The typical mom and dad with a job ad two kids in soccer practice arent the ones trying to influence people on Twitter.

 

[poodaddy]

I only ever speak to people on here how I would in real life, Hell if anything I can perhaps be a bit more gruff in real life and I'm sweeter on here.

Being disrespectful, rude, and dismissive of others just shows that you aren't worth being listened to.

 

[TheDreadBaron]

I think that’s gonna work about as well as voting for a third party candidate. Too many people invested in bullshit dragging down the average to make a dent. Still though, I agree it’s good to be mindful how you speak to faceless people on the internet

 

[Ozzy Onya A2Z]

I just carry myself the same online as I do in person. Given the exceptions of joke accounts, entertainment etc why anyone would sustainably behave any different from themselves IRL is beyond me.

I take far less shit in real life than what I choose to ignore or disengage with online.

 

[FeralEcho]

No matter how much you try and teach future generations it's always going to default back to human nature.

This is what people don't seem to fucking understand,ts the same with racism,sexism,violence,greed,all these are hardwired into our dna like wild animals,only thing we do is try our best to keep them in check and be civilised cuz that's how we are taught to be like but they are all still there hidden beneath the layers.Time and time again I've seen people with pristine positions/appearances lose their cool and act like savages.Thats when the real human comes out cuz afterall,our main objective as human beings from the moment we are born till the moment we die is to survive and pass on our genes and those instincts come out as defensive mechanisms and to keep those in check means to be able to tell your brain that it's fine and that it should stop being defensive.But for that you need willpower and a a higher IQ than an animal.

Problem then lies in the fact that 70-80% of the population is full of idiots who are being led like sheep by even bigger idiots to become even bigger idiots. Hence why racism,sexism,violence,greed etc. won't ever be gone as long as humans exist.

 

[Soodanim]

The anonymity strips away a lot of the human interaction aspects, and you're left with only the text. Not everyone is great at conveying an idea when they have good intentions, never mind bad intentions. When you get a confidently incorrect person who replaces all subtlety and/or delicacy with brashness and a disregard for discussion, or those that are more interested in winning than having an exchange of ideas, it's easy to match that sort of tone. That inevitably drags everything down, and unless one party chooses to bring it back up it stays down.

What I've noticed over the years is, particularly recent ones, is that now people are quicker to jump to a label and write someone off. On NeoGAF negative or positive console opinions are written off as console warring/fanboyism no absolutely no regard for anything but a single post. On Reddit, which is far worse, people are labelled any and every sort of ism at the drop of a hat.

The population of the internet, added with the age of the people that have the most time and interest in making a lot of the posts, makes all of it worse.

Personally, I don't care enough to remember negativity. If I have a disagreement with someone, that's opposing ideas limited to that particular segment of that thread and doesn't have any influence on anything else. It's the positive reactions to people that tend to stick with me longer term. You'd have to display a consistent idiocy for a long time for me to build up a picture, but even then I take all points made on their own merits.

 

[March Climber]

Because being a dick to people in real life has consequences, unlike when done online.

Kind of…it depends on the rules and moderation of the website. Too many people either take both for granted or they think that both are always in their favor.

 

[Pejo]

I do this too, OP. A few times on GAF even I felt awful after engaging with somebody with an opposing viewpoint just because I acted like a dickhole instead of a normal human being. I've been trying to do better at this type of thing myself.

 

[Go_Ly_Dow]

I do this too, OP. A few times on GAF even I felt awful after engaging with somebody with an opposing viewpoint just because I acted like a dickhole instead of a normal human being. I've been trying to do better at this type of thing myself.

Same been on GAF for over 10 years and even if you get some posters who want to cause a bit of mischief it doesn't mean I have to respond in the same a-hole way, like I sometimes have in the past. Especially on a community that's I've been part of for so long.

I enjoy debate, disagreements etc.. Its one of the joys of interacting with your fellow man and woman, but from now on I'll approach this online closer to how I carry myself in the real world and show some more class, authenticity and personal consistency lol.

 

[StueyDuck]

I noticed myself when either debating or disagreeing with others online I'd use a more confrontational tone that I wouldn't use in the real word when talking to real people. So recently I've began making the conscious effort talk to people online like I would talk to people in the real world.

It's a simple notion, but one perhaps many forget on the Internet. Given the amount of hatred you see people throwing at each other on social media (X, YouTube comments, forums etc..)

I dunno, but maybe rather than trying radical ideas or throttling freedoms, such as someday ending online anonymity, we'd see a better outcome from simply encouraging others and also teaching future generations to abide by that one principle as a starting point. Especially considering how much time people will spend and are going to spend on the Internet going forward.

Anyway enough late night ponderings. Night all and peace.

I definitely agree with children/youth being properly educated on how to navigate the modern world.

But sadly they are in a brainwashing cycle, how do you defeat something like tiktok now, it's already too big and melting brain cells saying "hey Timmy maybe you shouldn't use tiktok so much" from an old teacher isn't going to change it.

 

[StueyDuck]

Same been on GAF for over 10 years and even if you get some posters who want to cause a bit of mischief it doesn't mean I have to respond in the same a-hole way, like I sometimes have in the past. Especially on a community that's I've been part of for so long.

I enjoy debate, disagreements etc.. Its one of the joys of interacting with your fellow man and woman, but from now on I'll approach this online closer to how I carry myself in the real world and show some more class, authenticity and personal consistency lol.

Being a dickhead is shit... but this is a forum and the whole point of a forum is debate and discussion. You should have decorum when interacting with others but personally getting heated is alright as long as you are backing up your words with something tangible to the conversation. I've seen and have had many gaf members just attack and not really have anything interesting or more to add to the conversation or even back up the reason why they disagree (usually because it's fanboyism)

Social media on the otherhand, that's an entire different beast and I don't think that is "fixable" hence why many people (myself included) just dropped it all years ago and are happier for it.

I personally don't know if there is a reasonable way to navigate the hellhole that is Social media without being a narcissistic shit

 

[mitch1971]

On the outside world it's not just words alone that aid in your comunication. Tone of voice and body language are major factors in how we express our thoughts. Forums are used for convenience not necessarily out of choice. For me it's a waste of time to get into a random forum debate using just the written word. I find it easier to display subtlety in person than the sharp right angles of the written word. One of the reasons I usually keep my posts to just quips (and hope they land).

 

[mortal]

No matter how much you try and teach future generations it's always going to default back to human nature.

Yep. It may be an unflattering aspect of human nature, but for many, the freedom of being an asshole online with little to no consequence is very cathartic.
While I agree with OP, and that we should strive to be reasoble or courteous while enegaing with one another, the other side of that will never go away.