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Whenever I spend any prolonged time reading on online communities (mostly anonymous forums), I become increasingly aware that there are an abundance of depressive or unsavory, loopy oddballs who congregate on such places who have bizarre thought processes and viewpoints. It seems like such a discrepancy from what I see in the real world, or at least the world I live in personally. It's like entering into an underground BDSM pansexual nightclub that attracts all varieties of non-conformists and anomalies, as well as some really dark personalities. Maybe it's not always to that extreme, but my point is that there are some unconventional oddballs. In a toned down analogy, it's akin to what you see going to a large festival in a major city versus living in a vanilla, suburban enclave.
Now, am I just more oblivious to their existence in the real world? Are these people far more prevalent than I'm aware? Or are online forum communities a natural and safe habitat for such characters?
Last edited by Sir Quotes A Lot; 04-03-2019 at 09:03 AM..
I think there are more than one factors involved in this.
1. We, as humans, tend to flock with like-minded people. But the internet exposes us to ALL points of view. Some of them will seem extreme to 'us', but will be quite normal and average within their own real life circles.
2. There are people who just simply get pleasure from being perverse. And I don't mean perverse strictly in the sexual sense. I mean, they enjoy creating drama and stirring the pot for the sake of stirring the pot. They don't profit from it, they just get pleasure from it. Turning people against each other.
3. And then there are those who truly are mentally ill, and yeah...could be dangerous. I've known a couple of online people like that. The kind to threaten to dox you and post your personal stuff online. The kind who make vague threats against family members, and hint that they know where your kids go to school, and stuff like that.
4. And there are those who are mentally ill, and post the weird rambling manifesto-type posts. I'm from the St. Louis area. Our newspaper forums used to have a guy that would post looonnnnnggg ramblings about how how the Beatles and Peter Gabriel belonged to a secret organization, and this secret organization had kidnapped the poster, and subjected him to terrible, horrific experiments, that left him mentally traumatized. He would always write that he continued to speak out about this organization because they were so evil. One day he met a woman and they fell in love. When the secret organization found out about his girlfriend, they kidnapped HER and did awful experiments on HER, and she ended up dying as a result of these experiments, and that was the other reason he continued to speak out against them. Specifically Paul McCartney and Peter Gabriel, but the other Beatles, and who knows all who else.
This guy would come on the forum maybe once every 2 or 3 months. Sometimes I wondered if he was off his meds, thus the cyclical nature of his posts. Seems like a sad life.
One of the biggest differences I perceive is that, while the real world I live in is full of problems and obstacles, it doesn't seem nearly as dark and gloomy and depressing as it does in these online communities where the narrative is mostly cynical and sad and sometimes downright terrifying and immoral.
As a result, sometimes I associate certain online communities with dark, dingy basements, and the real world as a bright, sunny beach with calming waves.
They are all around us. I used to get these on the crisis hotline all the time. It's just that people are good at hiding it, or we just don't see it because they are people we don't have close conversations with that allow for sharing some of these thoughts. The anonymity of the internet draws them like moths to a light, and they can freely express themselves and gain support from like minded people.
They are all around us. I used to get these on the crisis hotline all the time. It's just that people are good at hiding it, or we just don't see it because they are people we don't have close conversations with that allow for sharing some of these thoughts. The anonymity of the internet draws them like moths to a light, and they can freely express themselves and gain support from like minded people.
I'd be so curious to hear some of your stories. Although, I think it'd be overly depressing on my soul. Kudos to you for providing that service.
I'd be so curious to hear some of your stories. Although, I think it'd be overly depressing on my soul. Kudos to you for providing that service.
thank you I worked the crisis hotline for 6 years and yes some of the stories, but actually you see a lot of them on city data, although I haven't seen diaper man on here YET lol! It didn't depress me I think because I saw it only as a fragment of the human condition, plus I felt like I at least was available to help or provide the appropriate referrals/resources, AND I left it at the office. The plus side of working on the lines, along with the monthly workshops, was an ability to smell bs and see the red flags pretty quick when dealing with people in general.
thank you I worked the crisis hotline for 6 years and yes some of the stories, but actually you see a lot of them on city data, although I haven't seen diaper man on here YET lol! It didn't depress me I think because I saw it only as a fragment of the human condition, plus I felt like I at least was available to help or provide the appropriate referrals/resources, AND I left it at the office. The plus side of working on the lines, along with the monthly workshops, was an ability to smell bs and see the red flags pretty quick when dealing with people in general.
I can imagine. I had come across this site years ago when I was just interested in the actual City Data portion. But I've been reading the forums off and on for years, and it is night and day sometimes compared to my reality at home.
The BS detector must be a fantastic skill to have, both here and in the real world.
One of the biggest differences I perceive is that, while the real world I live in is full of problems and obstacles, it doesn't seem nearly as dark and gloomy and depressing as it does in these online communities where the narrative is mostly cynical and sad and sometimes downright terrifying and immoral.
As a result, sometimes I associate certain online communities with dark, dingy basements, and the real world as a bright, sunny beach with calming waves.
I could not agree more. It's why I come here. Morbid fascination with certain elements of society. Like going to the zoo or natural history museum.
Isolated people come to the Internet for their social interaction. Isolated people are isolated because there is something about them that repels or rejects others, and/or they have social inadequacies and severe anxiety. I'd say about half the male posters who start threads on CD-R have some form of autism.
They are here because they can't successfully be "out there."
One of the biggest differences I perceive is that, while the real world I live in is full of problems and obstacles, it doesn't seem nearly as dark and gloomy and depressing as it does in these online communities where the narrative is mostly cynical and sad and sometimes downright terrifying and immoral.
As a result, sometimes I associate certain online communities with dark, dingy basements, and the real world as a bright, sunny beach with calming waves.
Except online forums are the real world - and all types of people, problems and personalities exist everywhere. I think the main difference is people perceive things as being said anonymously online; so often, it is used in a way for people to vent their anger, frustrations, and personal vendettas in a way which would not happen in the ‘real world’. Oh wait, yes it does - it’s just that people recognize craziness for what it is more easily (outside of a computer) whereas it’s often rewarded/provoked online. I mean, if someone rants their opinion in a forum (with insults, memes or even threats) it’s ‘normal’ or there are people encouraging it, whereas can you imagine what people would think/do if this type of behavior regularly occurred face to face in public or at work? It doesn’t - because in the real world, we are less anonymous (and recognize crazy for what it is).
Except online forums are the real world - and all types of people, problems and personalities exist everywhere. I think the main difference is people perceive things as being said anonymously online; so often, it is used in a way for people to vent their anger, frustrations, and personal vendettas in a way which would not happen in the ‘real world’. Oh wait, yes it does - it’s just that people recognize craziness for what it is more easily (outside of a computer) whereas it’s often rewarded/provoked online. I mean, if someone rants their opinion in a forum (with insults, memes or even threats) it’s ‘normal’ or there are people encouraging it, whereas can you imagine what people would think/do if this type of behavior regularly occurred face to face in public or at work? It doesn’t - because in the real world, we are less anonymous (and recognize crazy for what it is).
I notice there is lots of baiting and support for this sort of behavior, too. It's like an echo chamber of crippling depression that sucks all the oxygen out of the room, which in turn, starves the brain cells of precious nutrients.
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I worked the crisis hotline for 6 years and yes some of the stories, but actually you see a lot of them on city data, although I haven't seen diaper man on here YET lol! It didn't depress me I think because I saw it only as a fragment of the human condition, plus I felt like I at least was available to help or provide the appropriate referrals/resources, AND I left it at the office. The plus side of working on the lines, along with the monthly workshops, was an ability to smell bs and see the red flags pretty quick when dealing with people in general.
