Are people overly sensitive these days?

[c=4C0073]snowflakes, all of 'em! Off with their heads![/c]

I know the knee-jerk reaction would be to say 'yes' given just how much pettiness and drama we witness in our online lives, but I think much of that is a product of internet algorithms giving a disproportionate amount of clout to topics that invite controversy or manufactures outrage. And people looking for purpose or a sense of self-importance flock to these topics in order to gain validation. Due to the scope of the internet, it's going to seem like everyone is crazy just due to the sheer numbers, but it's really just a segment of the population congregating in one place or on one topic.

In real life, I see people being thoughtless and crude and ignorant without any kind of consequences all the time. Nothing like the kind of outrage you'd witness on any given comment thread. Maybe you could argue that people are just cowardly or weak, but I think the more accurate conclusion is that most people don't really care that much about anything beyond themselves. Their public behavior seems to be quite at odds compared to the kind we'd expect from overly sensitive people who naturally care more about what other people say and do.

Some are, admittedly. Others are overly insensitive. So perhaps it balances out.

I think some people always have been. Maybe the last two years have made people more so. If by "people" you mean people on SW, I think a higher proportion of them have various "issues" than people in the real world.

Snowflakes

Yes

Yep

I think people can be but honestly the norm is to be cruel which I don’t think is good either