the prevalence of twitter and the way it suddenly became "the town square of the internet" (before elon took dynamite to that idea) for over a decade has, i think, brought forth some very negative ripple effects to the way people use the internet. in the case of this post, i specifically want to talk about the way in which negativity and reactionary behavior have become the extreme standard of the average internet user.
we all know that negativity is the most viral force on the internet. while positivity can be just as viral and have its own can of worms to deal with when it comes to internet discourse, i think the reactionary negativity has created an overall worse, more anxiety-inducing, more dread-inducing environment to even just be logged on in the first place. it almost doesn't matter what site or service you are on, it's very clear and easy to see how addicted we get to negativity. the moment we hear an ounce of bad news, we all have to react to it not just immediately, but with our absolute worst thoughts, worst case scenarios, most pessimistic forms of discoursing. as many of us were still developing political thought and praxis, we used to talk so much shit about "reactionaries" and how quickly they bite onto discourse and other peoples' reactions, only to, years later, become reactionaries ourselves, albeit in a slightly different way. maybe we don't regurgitate alt-right talking points, but we do make snap judgments, "discourse" incredibly unproductively (and in a lot of cases, overly insultingly), willingly-or-otherwise spread misinformation that we don't bother to fact check, and spread and platform misery, negativity, and anxiety.
we have to assume the worst case scenario in all cases, and talk about things as if the worst case scenario has already happened -- which ironically enough, i think only feeds further into the worst case scenario actually becoming reality as users give way to pessimism and defeat, paralyzing everyone into inaction.
and while me talking about this is brought up in the way that people have been discussing the latest cohost financial update (both on and off the site), it's a pattern that i've been noticing multiple times throughout the years, that just happens to be relevant in this context. people have already started forming "exit strategies", talking about "where do we go now that this place is cooked?", ignoring the fact that this place is still fully functional, still being developed, with plans already in the works for how to address and solve the issues.
some (not all, absolutely not) people are talking like this is the last day this site will be in operation, despite the fact that the staff has explicitly said that they are not planning on closing. and while i won't choose to speak for staff, i will say that when you work on something and put your heart and soul and blood into it, and you have to be open about the fact that you are working on solutions but things aren't perfect, and people start immediately dooming about the place being gone already and talking about jumping ship, i can't imagine it would be very helpful to your resolve or motivation or morale to continue your hard work. we need healthier ways of engaging with the problems that we face.
yes, i understand that the last decade of life in general has been significantly trying. people are worn down. people are tired. people don't feel good about the unstable state of the world. people have concerns that they wish to voice. all of these things are true and valid. but i think we need to be more responsible in general with how we use our voices and our platforms to speak up and speak out. because even if all of these social media websites (and let's be clear -- 100% of them are not financially stable. everyone on twitter or tumblr talking mess on the cohost financial situation are throwing stones from a glass house.) were to up and evaporate tomorrow, and something new were to pop up in the ashes, these new spaces cannot and will not become something great, or something that can grow in a positive way, if we do not use our space within them responsibly.
there is enough doom in the world as it is; how much do we really need to contribute more to it?
