A bad habit crept in…
Considering how the online world has become so important to our lives (or intrusive, depending on your perspective), it’s important to take a step back once in a while, and look at how we’re using the Internet, and how it might be affecting us.
As I discussed in the post before this one, I still indulge in mindless entertainment online, as well as various news sources. I’m fine with this, as long as it’s only once in a while – we all need to relax, after all. The problem isn’t the content itself, per se, but something in how I was approaching and engaging with this kind of content.
Get to the Point Already
When I took a step back and was honest with myself, I found I’d actually been reading online articles far less often than I thought I was. What I found myself doing was reading the headline, skimming the main points, and rushing to the comment section - when I thought about why, I didn’t like the answer…
Do I have a short attention span? Is the content boring? Am I in a hurry? I really wish I could claim one of those answers. The reason I think I was rushing to the comment section was to see what the majority of others had to say. Why was that more important to me than the content itself?!
The Answer is Troubling
I’m ashamed to admit that I found I was looking for one of two things when rushing to the comment sections:
Looking for others to agree with my opinion.
Whether it’s a news article, a movie review, a YouTube video, or a blog post, I found myself looking for validation from others. I wanted to know that others agree with my opinion or reaction. Remember, these opinions were often based on a cursory glance at the content; they weren’t based on research, logic, or well-though-out reasoning. The things I was looking to validate were, essentially, emotional knee-jerk responses. There was a time that I detested this exact practice/habit. “Did you actually read the article?” I found myself having to admit that no, oftentimes, I was not.
I’m looking for what I think people might say – specifically, if it’s going to make me angry or frustrated.
Why would I want to be angry or frustrated? Does it give me some kind of strange outlet? Does it make me feel superior to others by reading something while “knowing” they’re wrong and I’m right? Having only taken PSYCH 101, I can’t really say; I only know I didn’t like it and I needed to stop.
Between the two, the second may seem worse, but I would say they’re equally worrying habits.
Either I’d be looking for others to reinforce what I already believed - considering I rarely got new facts from the bit of content I did read - or I was looking for a target for my self-righteous outrage. You don't have to be a psychologist to realize that this kind of behaviour isn’t healthy.
Notice the Problem, Then Take Action
Like I said earlier, I’m ashamed of this habit that I’d developed over time. This admission, however, will only serve to reinforce that embarrassment, hopefully continuing to contribute to a consistent and long-lasting change in how I use the Internet. If nothing else, maybe it will help someone you to notice you might have been doing something similar; like most bad habits, it’s easy to slip into.
In a world of ‘fake news’ and opinions/feelings carrying more weight than facts, this kind of behaviour must be called-out for what it is: lazy and irresponsible. When we admit that to ourselves, we can then begin to act more responsibly and positively contribute to whatever online forums/communities we choose to frequent.
