Are people too fragile today?

[Fenixgoon]

So to a certain extent, I get the whole "people should feel comfortable when they're out and about, safe space" thing.

But today I saw a facebook friend's post (we're more or less only friends on facebook...I've only interacted with her a handful of times in real life) and said friend made a post about how recent comments by other people have made her feel like her friends are no longer a bastion of safety/support because of comments that somehow imply romance and/or sexual interest.

1 - it's the goddamned internet. people are stupid. see the greater internet fuckwad theory
2 - unfriend and/or block said retards
3 - problem solved

is it just me, or do people have thin skin? and i realize i'm the pot calling the kettle black - i'm not terribly good either in some areas of criticism. but honestly, if you don't like a situation, fix it! as much as people shouldn't make you feel uncomfortable, you also have the power as an autonomous individual with choice to change that! amazing

 

[Naer]

people need more calcium and iron in their diets

 

[MongGrel]

I've never taken criticism well myself, but yes, I'd tend to think there are a substantially higher amount of thin skinned people running around these days.

 

[lxskllr]

people need more calcium and iron in their diets

:^D

 

[Fenixgoon]

people need more calcium and iron in their diets

*throws tomato*

 

[skyking]

I know I am. I took a hard fall onto a metal step Monday and it kicked my ass, er back. This bumble don't bounce no mo.

 

[brianmanahan]

*throws tomato*

OW MY FEMUR

caps

 

[RockinZ28]

Fragile? Or just a means to get the attention each precious snowflake desires? Isn't that the whole point of facebook?

 

[Rakehellion]

So to a certain extent, I get the whole "people should feel comfortable when they're out and about, safe space" thing.

But today I saw a facebook friend's post (we're more or less only friends on facebook...I've only interacted with her a handful of times in real life) and said friend made a post about how recent comments by other people have made her feel like her friends are no longer a bastion of safety/support because of comments that somehow imply romance and/or sexual interest.

1 - it's the goddamned internet. people are stupid. see the greater internet fuckwad theory
2 - unfriend and/or block said retards
3 - problem solved

is it just me, or do people have thin skin? and i realize i'm the pot calling the kettle black - i'm not terribly good either in some areas of criticism. but honestly, if you don't like a situation, fix it! as much as people shouldn't make you feel uncomfortable, you also have the power as an autonomous individual with choice to change that! amazing

Someone makes a passive-aggressive post on Facebook, so you make a passive-aggressive post about it on AnandTech.

and i realize i'm the pot calling the kettle black

Do you think you're to fragile?

 

[Joepublic2]

Fragile is the wrong word for it, imo. A more accurate word would be hyper-sensitive, like the immune system of somebody who's lived in a sterile room all their lives who is suddenly thrust out into nature and immediately has a severe asthma attack.

I don't think it's entirely these people's fault, though. The atomizing nature of modern society and a lack of strong shared cultural identity/heritage/customs causes all kinds of social dysfunction.

 

[Ruptga]

Meh, people like that have always been around and always will be around, the internet just makes it easier to notice them. It's also a trendy topic, so crybabies tend to be noticed and mentioned more.

 

[who?]

People are calmer and less stressed if they are more aerobically fit but we sit around so much our fitness levels go down and our brains don't work as well.

 

[sandorski]

Someone makes a passive-aggressive post on Facebook, so you make a passive-aggressive post about it on AnandTech.



Do you think you're to fragile?

This is a Nerd Safe Space. Please edit your post to reflect this!!

 

[Svnla]

Thin skinned/fragile? Probably.

But more and more people are like "whaaaaaaaaaa, I don't like what you say or write but I can't dispute them so I must label you as "hater/racist/xenophobist/bad person/<insert more label and name>".

 

[pcgeek11]

Thin skinned/fragile? Probably.

But more and more people are like "whaaaaaaaaaa, I don't like what you say or write but I can't dispute them so I must label you as "hater/racist/xenophobist/bad person/<insert more label and name>".

This.

 

[mikeymikec]

nvm

 

[TallBill]

Yes. Far too much so. The anti-bullying crap doesn't help.

 

[PenguinPower]

Do you think you're to fragile?

It's "too" you thin-skinned moron.

 

[purbeast0]

yes people are too fragile now a days, ESPECIALLY online where people think their opinion is the only one that is allowed.

 

[DNAGuru]

Yes, because there are literally keyboard warriors any where in the internet.

 

[Kaido]

is it just me, or do people have thin skin?

This is what you need to know:

1. A small minority of vocal people, ones who crave attention, take their complaints online. They may or may not have actually have thin skin. The people I know who struggle with anxiety don't make it a point to put themselves in the crosshairs of the public.

2. They know how to manipulate their verbage in order to incite responses.

3. The core purpose of doing this is to either confirm their beliefs for the positive (I'm right!) or to the negative (I got kickback, therefore I'm right!).

The three primary motivators are money, power, and fame. You can become Internet famous for being a troll, so there's fame. You can also build up a digital army in your favor, so there's power. Some people get paid to do it, whether it's from a company, journalism, hawking a product, or getting advertising revenue from Youtube or Adsense ads, so there's money (no joke - some people make tens of thousands of dollars per month off Youtube ads on their troll videos because people get so stirred up that they can't help but comment; flamewar = ad money!). You don't have to be attractive, speak well, be smart, etc. to get money, power, and fame online. You simply have to hop on Twitter & voice your opinion in such a way that people feel a need to respond.

The majority of people IRL are average joes. There's a small percentage of the rest: attention-seekers, angry people, people with mental health issues that cause them to go ballistic online, etc. The Internet gives you an easy platform to make your voice heard, especially if you can find a good hot-button topic that gets the Internet army going. Plus, it's easy to be anonymous, so you can say & do whatever you want with very little repercussions in your daily non-connected life. There's zillions of people with lots of free time just hanging around online, so if, for whatever reason, you have an internal need to stand on a global soapbox, you have a huge audience at your command if you understand the mechanics behind it.

It's basically the social equivalent of clickbait. On TV, the equivalents are Donald Trump, the Kardashians, formerly Paris Hilton, etc. The limelight engine works on recurring physiological principles: "these people are nuts!" "what happened??" "what going to happen next?!" If you're not afraid to get out there & keep producing, people can't help but responding by watching your show, responding via comments, etc. I love reading about pop psychology, especially in relation to the Internet; there's actually an interesting related law called Cunningham's Law that utilizes the priciple of "I NEED to respond!":

https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Cunningham's_Law

Cunningham's Law states "the best way to get the right answer on the Internet is not to ask a question, it's to post the wrong answer."

The concept is named after Ward Cunningham, father of the wiki. According to Steven McGeady, the law's author, Wikipedia may be the most well-known demonstration of this law.

Because who hasn't felt like this before?

To some extent, we're all hams...if you've been active on ATOT for awhile, just look over at your own postcount There's a range of reasons why not everyone trolls online to the extent that others do...morals, inhibitions, ethics, personal pride, goals, etc. But there will always be a small percentage of people who meet the criteria for putting themselves out there & creating a public feedback cycle.

TL;DR: Don't confuse a few loud people on the Internet with humanity in general.

 

[FerrelGeek]

There's truth in all of these comments...

Fragile? Or just a means to get the attention each precious snowflake desires? Isn't that the whole point of facebook?

Fragile is the wrong word for it, imo. A more accurate word would be hyper-sensitive, like the immune system of somebody who's lived in a sterile room all their lives who is suddenly thrust out into nature and immediately has a severe asthma attack.

I don't think it's entirely these people's fault, though. The atomizing nature of modern society and a lack of strong shared cultural identity/heritage/customs causes all kinds of social dysfunction.

Meh, people like that have always been around and always will be around, the internet just makes it easier to notice them. It's also a trendy topic, so crybabies tend to be noticed and mentioned more.

Thin skinned/fragile? Probably.

But more and more people are like "whaaaaaaaaaa, I don't like what you say or write but I can't dispute them so I must label you as "hater/racist/xenophobist/bad person/<insert more label and name>".

 

[MagnusTheBrewer]

The core issue is "friends on Facebook." There is a trend among youts to treat, think and, relate to online acquaintances the same way they do to friends IRL. Doing this doesn't expand their circle as they believe, it limits their interactions in real life. The hyper sensitivity is an attempt to restore the immediacy and intimate interactions they've voluntarily given up. I don't think people are more thin skinned, I think they are less capable because they've traded people skills for technology.

 

[Darwin333]

I will never understand why people have, and more importantly give two fucks about, friends on FB that they aren't friends with in real life.

 

[Kaido]

The core issue is "friends on Facebook." There is a trend among youts to treat, think and, relate to online acquaintances the same way they do to friends IRL. Doing this doesn't expand their circle as they believe, it limits their interactions in real life. The hyper sensitivity is an attempt to restore the immediacy and intimate interactions they've voluntarily given up. I don't think people are more thin skinned, I think they are less capable because they've traded people skills for technology.

That's an interesting insight. And I think it makes sense...I know a lot of people who have gotten sucked into social media & have stopped hanging out as much IRL. They're the ones who send the endless Farmville requests & stuff, haha.