Rolle Laukkarinen on Nostr: I've realized what causes my social anxiety on social media these days and why. It's ...

I've realized what causes my social anxiety on social media these days and why. It's probably due to that massive past fedi HOA pile-on, but also the nature of the fediverse and social media in general in today's world. People feed on hate. They like rage baits, they like to spark discussion in controversial and angry topics.

You see, we have freedom and power here. Most of us joined or started our own servers because we didn't have a place of our own anywhere else when things turned to shit. It's nice when a place feels comfortable and up your alley. But if you have a hateful agenda, you can keep pushing it here. You're with your own mob or on your own server, with nobody moderating you. Naturally, people can block or fediblock, but some aren't used to blocking or don't take drastic measures. So inflammatory behavior spreads.

Many things are allowed more freely here than on commercial social media, where automatic moderation cuts down even normal posts. Here, we have less responsibility for what we say, who we say it to, and how we say it. So I'd like to see more kindness spread. Fediblocks work to a certain degree, but there's often only one truth, and that's the truth your instance has. People are generally more inclusive here, but that tolerance runs out, for example, when it comes to people with anxiety disorders or those whose values don't quite align with their own.

Thankfully, there are tools to help: block, mute, fediblock. And take breaks from social media. I sometimes take days off. I rarely read the news anymore and avoid reading about politics or tech on social media. RSS is often much more peaceful. Have a calm evening, folks.

#SocialMedia #Fediverse #LongPost