It's amazing that I just made up this situation and it literally made you so angry that you wanted me to die. This is a fantastic insight into how the anonymity of the internet allows people to exercise intense feelings that would not be accessible in normal social situations.
For example, if you were my cleaner and you found a pill, and I asked 'should I take it?' I'm pretty sure your answer wouldn't be 'I hope it kills you'
You don't have to do a social experiment to know if people value your life. The value of your life is measured in human connection. As an anonymous individual with little conversation on here, your life holds little value here. To a maid who has known you for years, even if they think your a dick, that value increases. Naturally, your life is valued highly with friends and family, and they would show care and concern if you considered eating a mystery pill.
Well, I don't know about you, but usually care if someone I know or am watching kills themselves, so why would I not care when it's on the internet?
Because it creates a sort of remote, almost dream-like situation where you do not have to take the things people say so seriously because you have no validation that they actually mean them. Then again, lots of people do genuinely mean them. It's a tough one to call, because people build up a sort of thick skin for things on the internet they dislike, trolls, racist/sexist comments, e.c.t, at a certain point this becomes expected from time to time. However, this distance you put between yourself and the other commenter can often lead to a lack of significant empathy and sympathy when not discussing situations of great levity.
For example, if someone said: 'my dad just died', both in real life and on the internet, it's probable that the receiver will be very sympathetic. However, if someone said: 'my gerbil died' i'm sure in real life the receiver would act sympathetically, but there are people online who may say seemingly thoughtless things to this because of the distance between themselves and the sender.
Don't get me wrong, I am in no way looking to see if strangers value my life, that's completely irrelevant. I am looking to see ordinary people turn on someone in a situation set up to evoke that anonymous hatred in people that comes from the distance they have put between themselves and the other user.
It has been very well established over time that through primal instinct, on first contact, humans will generally care for the wellbeing of a stranger.
There is something about the internet that bypasses this, and there is no approved theory as to why this happens.
Probably, but it's different here, I can't sack you from the internet or really do anything to harm you barring verbal (or in this case) textual abuse, meaning that you have the ability to say anything you like to me, even assume I am male even though Aroura is a female name, and send me a death wish even though I am a stranger. Do not get me wrong, I am not accusing you of being a bad person, only a typical person in that you are swayed by the power you get by sending attention-grabbing remarks. The overwhelming majority of people will do this in similar situations at some point in their lives because it is a natural part of human nature. You are...for lack of a more on the dot word...typical.
Should I take it? My fate is in your hands...
↑ View this comment's parent
← View full post
It's amazing that I just made up this situation and it literally made you so angry that you wanted me to die. This is a fantastic insight into how the anonymity of the internet allows people to exercise intense feelings that would not be accessible in normal social situations.
For example, if you were my cleaner and you found a pill, and I asked 'should I take it?' I'm pretty sure your answer wouldn't be 'I hope it kills you'
--
iEatZombies_
9 years ago
|
pl
Comment Hidden (
show
)
Report
2
2
-
ihateallmyclothes
9 years ago
|
pl
Comment Hidden (
show
)
Report
0
0
-
Aroura77
9 years ago
|
pl
Comment Hidden (
show
)
Report
0
0
He wasn't angry, he just doesn't care if you die.
You don't have to do a social experiment to know if people value your life. The value of your life is measured in human connection. As an anonymous individual with little conversation on here, your life holds little value here. To a maid who has known you for years, even if they think your a dick, that value increases. Naturally, your life is valued highly with friends and family, and they would show care and concern if you considered eating a mystery pill.
--
Aroura77
9 years ago
|
pl
Comment Hidden (
show
)
Report
0
0
Well, I don't know about you, but usually care if someone I know or am watching kills themselves, so why would I not care when it's on the internet?
Because it creates a sort of remote, almost dream-like situation where you do not have to take the things people say so seriously because you have no validation that they actually mean them. Then again, lots of people do genuinely mean them. It's a tough one to call, because people build up a sort of thick skin for things on the internet they dislike, trolls, racist/sexist comments, e.c.t, at a certain point this becomes expected from time to time. However, this distance you put between yourself and the other commenter can often lead to a lack of significant empathy and sympathy when not discussing situations of great levity.
For example, if someone said: 'my dad just died', both in real life and on the internet, it's probable that the receiver will be very sympathetic. However, if someone said: 'my gerbil died' i'm sure in real life the receiver would act sympathetically, but there are people online who may say seemingly thoughtless things to this because of the distance between themselves and the sender.
Don't get me wrong, I am in no way looking to see if strangers value my life, that's completely irrelevant. I am looking to see ordinary people turn on someone in a situation set up to evoke that anonymous hatred in people that comes from the distance they have put between themselves and the other user.
It has been very well established over time that through primal instinct, on first contact, humans will generally care for the wellbeing of a stranger.
There is something about the internet that bypasses this, and there is no approved theory as to why this happens.
I'm pretty sure the cleaner would get sacked...
--
Aroura77
9 years ago
|
pl
Comment Hidden (
show
)
Report
0
0
Probably, but it's different here, I can't sack you from the internet or really do anything to harm you barring verbal (or in this case) textual abuse, meaning that you have the ability to say anything you like to me, even assume I am male even though Aroura is a female name, and send me a death wish even though I am a stranger. Do not get me wrong, I am not accusing you of being a bad person, only a typical person in that you are swayed by the power you get by sending attention-grabbing remarks. The overwhelming majority of people will do this in similar situations at some point in their lives because it is a natural part of human nature. You are...for lack of a more on the dot word...typical.
Maybe you would, I've never met you before.