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.
Should I take it? My fate is in your hands...
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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.