When I first joined this community I saw it as a respite from reddit where I was free to chill with people without being constantly expected to debate or defend arguments or anything. Just a forum where people are nice.

Lately though it seems every active comment section is filled to the brim with, to be frank, obnoxious people who want nothing more than to fight with you about everything you say. I think they’re known as “debate bros.”

I’m not saying debate shouldn’t be happening but to be honest it’s disappointing seeing it be the only thing occurring. I’ve tried contributing in other fashions but have been met multiple times with people trying to start arguments with me about things or get me to defend “points” that I didn’t make. This in particular has been very annoying. I’ve reported every instance of this due to it not contributing but I feel as if that’s not helping.

I like talking to people I disagree with. I like conversing with differing opinions. But I feel alone in that this isn’t the only thing I want to do on a forum.

Again, I’m not trying to definitively say we shouldn’t debate at all, but just pointing out how prevalent it seems to be. Id like to just converse with people without being expected to make and defend points. I feel like that’s a major thing we should’ve left on Reddit.

If people want to debate then they can do that. I just dislike that it appears to become the base-level expectation for the instance.

  • NightOwl@lemmy.one
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    16
    ·
    1 year ago

    I think the honey moon period is over for all instances and communities when people were motivated to comment with the goal of trying to encourage user growth by being nicer than they usually are.

    Now that people are settling in they are more comfortable using the fediverse like they’ve done on social media. Which does change the type of posts and comments that now come out.

    So arguments are expected for even trivial topics like games. It’s good or bad thing depending on the viewpoint, but was expected outcome since motivations for posting was much different in the earlier days.

    • gabe [he/him]@literature.cafe
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      12
      ·
      1 year ago

      I think that it wasn’t a honey moon period, but more so people are getting settled in and attempting to bring in toxicity because some people just crave toxicity for no logical reason…

      • cstine@lemmy.uncomfortable.business
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        16
        ·
        1 year ago

        While I’m not a psychologist, I read far too much crap online, so take this as a layman’s view.

        There’s been a lot of research around the dopamine feedback loop around social media, as well as the fact that arguing and “winning” is a major dopamine hit, so I wouldn’t be the least bit shocked that a lot of the more toxic people are literally addicted to the dopamine that social networks give you that they’re arguing and posting for no other reason than their next hit.

        • gabe [he/him]@literature.cafe
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          8
          ·
          1 year ago

          Oh no, they quite literally are. You pretty much nailed the root of it, and also brought up a good point as to why for profit social media tends to become so harmful. Engagement is prioritized, and “winning” and arguing with people drives engagement due to the dopamine hit. That’s why you will constantly see rage bait promoted across social media. It makes money.

          • cstine@lemmy.uncomfortable.business
            link
            fedilink
            English
            arrow-up
            8
            ·
            1 year ago

            I guess the real question, ultimately, is how do you deprogram the worst elements of this cohort so that they can like… respond and converse like a normal human without having to argue every single thing and go on and on and on until they “win”? (Which, IMO, means the other person has just gotten tired of dealing with them more than anything else.)

            I will happily admit I have absolutely no idea, and will also admit that I have on more than one occasion been That Guy Posting but I really really try to not let myself be.

            • gabe [he/him]@literature.cafe
              link
              fedilink
              English
              arrow-up
              10
              ·
              1 year ago

              I think it’s a matter of being mindful of it, creating an environment where it isn’t acceptable, as well as making sure that the algorithms that tend to generate the most toxicity don’t get added in.

              • Danterious@lemmy.dbzer0.com
                link
                fedilink
                English
                arrow-up
                6
                ·
                1 year ago

                To add on I think it is also a thing of social norms. So if a plurality in a post starts being argumentative then it can become the default way others talk in other parts of the post.

                So it sort of is an “Embody the change you want to see” thing.

                • gabe [he/him]@literature.cafe
                  link
                  fedilink
                  English
                  arrow-up
                  5
                  ·
                  1 year ago

                  Absolutely. I am not perfect whatsoever, no one is but I try my best personally to make lemmy a nice place and as a community it’s our collective responsibility to at the very least try

      • MJBrune@beehaw.org
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        12
        ·
        1 year ago

        I think people crave drama. If you solved the world’s problems, people would go nuts over the smallest things. You see this with HOAs and rich neighborhoods where people literally have their lives solved so they go out and make more problems for themselves. Local problems that only they can solve. People are problem solvers and when you take their problems away, they start breaking stuff.

        I don’t think this is just some people, I think everyone has this on some level. Some are better at finding problems to solve rather than making them. Some people start looking externally to their lives to find problems to solve and some people immediately create problems in their own life to solve. This is how you get volunteers and people contributing to society and also people complaining your lawn is too long or too brown.