/hell/ - internet death cult

Do to others what you would have done to yourself.

>>5374
Easier said than done

>>5375
Indeed, but many things worth doing are.
The comment wasn't intended to be a dismissive quip, I legitimately believe that's the root activity to kindness, even on the internet where we're encouraged to be dismissive and always on the lookout to score points on an imagined opponent. Remembering that there is another person behind the words you see on a bulletin board is difficult (Not counting the increasing frequency of bots, naturally).

>>5373
you describe it yourself as it being "internet induced". the easy kinda half-assed solution to that would be spending less time on the internet but that's probably not something you're interested in doing.

you say that you can't help judging people or seeing the worst in them and i don't want to make any assumptions about you personally but from my experience, people similar to this kind of way of thinking are just naturally disposed to the sort of cold, analytical way of viewing the world. that doesn't necessarily mean they are determined to be more negative, but it's extremely easy for them to slip into that direction, especially on the internet, and especially with a bad upbringing.

i find it really fascinating as these people live and die by their pattern recognition skills and are extremely confident in their way of viewing the world. they've yet to be proven wrong so why abandon it?

basically, the internet has been cursed with negativity. ragebait, twitter character assassinations, memes depicting people in a negative light, never-ending cultural tensions and the financial incentive for many people regardless of who they are to take part in these acts. you're not wrong to be negative, in fact you have every reason to be, or at least you believe you do.

but then you still have the question of how you actually make it so you aren't as negative. and in that sense you have to think back to the pattern-recognition way of thinking. you have to essentially play devils advocate with yourself. because in all honesty, despite how confident you may be in your assertions about the world. a lot of the time, you're wrong and issues are far more nuanced than you previously could have imagined. this is a whole skill in it of itself and you won't be good at it overnight, but a good place to start is essentially infantalizing yourself and constantly asking the question of "why?" over and over again like a 7 year old. it sounds silly, and it sounds like it'd get annoying. but simply just knowing the "why" to a certain behaviour, or effect can do so much to influence the way you think and feel.

this doesn't necessarily make you a more positive person though. in actuality it moreso neutralizes you. but it's a far better way of going about the world than the way the internet influences us to act and think

sorry if this post was really long winded lol but i found this question and topics related very interesting. i don't really post at all but hopefully i covered all that's necessary.

>>5373
Seeking inter-subjectivity and recognizing the Unique of each person can go a long way towards being less judgmental. Engaging with others as fellow subject agents with their own perspectives rather than treating them as external objects to our own self.

I'd like to take the moment to say being analytical and critical doesn't have to be bad, and it's good to cultivate a healthy, constructive sense of critique for the things around you. I myself am a very critical person but I prefer to put that analysis towards positive expression. Less "this thing sucks" and more "I'd have preferred it this way". It's inevitable that most things are not going to be exactly to our liking, it's just a question of how you engage with these incongruities of taste.

>>5373
just stay away from the bad vibes
theres plenty of chill places in internet you just need to be curious

>>5373
What I try to do is try to find things without finding commentary on them, for example new music without looking up what anybody thinks about it. I keep a local text file that just keeps track of what I like and dislike about it, and then I search up to see what other people say about it. It's helped me be a bit more mindful about what my interests are.

>>5377
>less time on the internet
Would that make a difference? Its already burned into my brain and everyone around me is using it. Turning it off isn’t an escape.

>>5378
>put that analysis towards positive expression. Less "this thing sucks" and more "I'd have preferred it this way"
So put things nicely? I’ve seen people who can do this but I suck at it. Like it’s a skill.

>>5379
Where? even this place gets spammed. Everywhere I go it’s just hatred and people screaming over each other.

>>5380
Yeah but then I worry about coming off as lame to people into that specific thing. Like if I listen to metal I start with beginner bands and I might like Metallica song but everyone who’s not a beginner won’t take you seriously. A lot of hobbies basically encourage you to be an asshole and mock basic friendly lady tatstes.

>>5381
>Turning it off isn’t an escape.
that was just a tongue in cheek comment, i'm aware that's not viable advice hence why i wrote everything else!!!

>>5373
Have you thought about why you feel the impulse to be negative on the internet? For most people, I think it is some combination of jealousy and vanity.

Jealousy because you see other people showing off the best parts of their lives on the internet. People present a curated feed of their successes. If any failures are shared, they're "safe" failures that they are comfortable laughing about themselves. When you see all these wonderful experiences others are having while your own life is miserable, it's natural to express negativity towards them.

Vanity because other people have different opinions and preferences. They will write negative things about things that you believe or things that you like, which is an indirect criticism of you for believing or liking those things. Sometimes they will even directly criticize you as a person. It's natural to express negativity towards others who have directly or indirectly attacked you in this way.

Of course, knowing the cause doesn't mean it's easy to avoid it happening. Jealousy is perhaps easier to address, always keep in mind that the other people on the internet may be less happy than they seem on the surface. If they were truly happy, they probably wouldn't be spending so much time here. Vanity is, I think, more a matter of community. This is easier to achieve offline because people are more willing to accept others with a basic set of beliefs or interests and to avoid sensitive subjects unrelated to the community's purpose. On the internet, people are more prone to both writing criticisms of sensitive subjects unrelated to the community, and to oversharing about these subjects, which breeds negativity among the community as they attach each other's vanity.

Anyways, I don't have a magic solution, but when you see someone being negative towards you on the internet, it's important to remember that these impulses are natural part of life. Most negativity you receive isn't rooted in some sort of deep-seated hatred towards you, it's out of a person's frustration with their own life.

>>5381
>So put things nicely? I've seen people who can do this but suck at it. Like it's a skill.
Less about putting it nicely and moreso using your analysis as a cause for self-expression. When you have grievances with a work or how someone is doing something, it's an opportunity to listen to yourself and understand better what it is that makes you feel that way. Being analytical and critical is examining the things around us, breaking them down into their component parts and figuring out why something works or doesn't work. A large part of that process is distinguishing what we like and don't like, and I'm saying you should focus more on what you like rather than what you don't. If you don't like something it's because it's lacking what you do like, and the fun part is in the exploration of the self that comes from learning between these two and the nuances therein.

I'm often most analytical and most critical of the things I love, because those are the things I think are worth really getting into the nitty gritty on. I can often come across to others as though I'm frequently complaining, but it's coming from a place of admiration and joy rather than frustration and hatred. If I see something that I well and truly dislike in its entirety, I'll either engage with it for the sake of challenging my own preconceptions, or I'll skip over it entirely and not give it a second thought. The fun is in engaging with something on both its merits and demerits.

>Yeah but then I worry about coming off as lame to people into that specific thing. Like if I listen to metal I start with beginner bands and I might like Metallica songs but everyone who's not a beginner won't take you seriously. A lot of hobbies basically encourage you to be an asshole and mock basic friendly lady tastes.
That seems more an issue with social anxiety rather than negativity and over-criticality, though I agree with that sushi roll's idea of avoiding outside opinions before trying it for yourself. I'm a big fan of going in blind into any piece of media I'm interested in, and often intentionally avoid any online discourse of that thing until I feel I'm ready to engage with people about it. As for your worries about jerks using their advanced knowledge to punch down at you, well there's always going to be those sorts, and all you can do is try to engage with the people you meet earnestly. Meeting someone with more knowledge on metal than you is an opportunity to ask them for recommendations, even if they're initially dismissive of your own lack of experience. It could be that they're simply kneejerk reacting to what they perceive as an outsider, and attempts to show earnest interest in the deeper aspects of their interest will garner more respect. Or they'll be incredibly mean and gatekeepy, but I like to keep in mind that these sorts are still just doing what they think is best by what they see as "keeping out the rabble". Might be best to find a better company to share your time with, though.

>>5383
>Have you thought about why you feel the impulse to be negative on the internet?
I used to find it intensely funny that people who would call me a subhuman black dragon roll would otherwise be friendly to me online, not recognizing me as a black dragon roll. Funny in a painful tragic comic way. Then there are the legion of people that won’t call you a subhuman to your face, they’ll act all offended like how could you say that? But when backs are turned heh.


On the internet I see massive hypocrisy and self-medicating with pop culture, online content, mass consumption. Hopeless slaves of the culture industry. You see hate, you see spite, you see raw unfiltered opinions and raw unfiltered behavior. Then you go outside and see everyone walking around and know these are the same people who post shit online. They seem nice, but they are not.

There’s a good amount of mob mentality online. You can’t have a unique opinion on anything. Upset their little genre conventions and they get mad. Tell them you don’t like a certain classic and they get mad. Everything feels the same and nothing seems genuine.

>>5384
>focus more on what you like rather than what you don't
Yeah that’s a problem. Consuming a lot of negative content, hate speech, and music/anime I don’t like because it strokes my feelings of rage and I’m somehow stuck doing that.