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People who are online too much think that people who are online too much are representative of the general public

They’re not.

For one, introverts are way overrepresented in online communities. Not to mention this whole Twitter kerfuffle; Twitter only seems like the world to those who are on Twitter all the time. The internet attracts a disproportionate number of certain types of people and certain worldviews.

It’s like cafe society in belle époque Paris. The internet is its own ivory tower (except not as lofty).
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You give me bmc vibes lol
SW-User
@PepsiColaP BMC said I was based once. 😂

I’m definitely not new here but I’m not BMC lol. I guess she finally got caught lying about being Serbian and Yemeni and Romani and whatever else she said she was 😑
Ferric67 · M
@SW-User @PepsiColaP who's bmc?
eMortal · M
I had a similar thought recently. I just discovered Instagram reels. As you know their algorithm pushes the type of content you seem to dwell on more often. I saw a girl dancing provocatively. I lingered a bit. Oh boy, it was a mistake. All I could get after that was the same type of raunchy, sexually provocative and suggestive content. I started wondering how many girls were pulling off these marketing stunts online!? Are they a good representative sample of all women on Instagram!? To be honest after watching hundreds of those reels it’s tempting to think most girls do that on Instagram.
hunkalove · 61-69, M
The Internet is a vast wasteland. 99% of it is a total waste of time.
ninalanyon · 61-69, T
[quote]introverts are way overrepresented in online communities[/quote]

Are you sure about that? Even before the net there were plenty of people who didn't interact much with the rest of society. Are you sure that it isn't simply easier to spot the introverts online than out in the physical world?
SW-User
@ninalanyon I haven’t done a study or anything, but I’ve seen polls on sites like SW where the number of self-reported introverts is close to 75%, which is far higher than the reported number of people in general. It’s not that the number of introverts has increased, it’s just introverts are drawn to online communities because they allow for communication in a way that doesn’t include the difficulties of in-person communication.
ninalanyon · 61-69, T
@SW-User Reported and self-reported don't sound like the same thing. I suspect that a lot more people would self report as introverts than would be assessed as introverts by a psychologist.

But of course I don't have any data either.
SW-User
@ninalanyon That may be true. I always thought I was an introvert because I am relatively shy and I value quiet alone time. But I also love parties and bars and living with other people, so I don’t know what a psychologist would make of that.
SW-User
I read this online.
SW-User
@SW-User This episode of Twilight Zone writes itself 🤪
The internet is where people go to escape reality. Those that live on internet tend to believe in the fairytales they find online, i hear you and agree.
SW-User
@checkoutanytime You have no idea just how ironic this was.

Holy mother of god.
@SW-User
SW-User
Yes but lots of introvert people find it easier to express themselves online.
SW-User
@SW-User For sure, and I would imagine that’s why you find more of them online than “IRL”. Introverts often feel like the extroverts are the majority in real life (but extroverts are also just more noticeable).
Whodunnit · M
I believe the likes of Twitter (and lazy journalists) have ruined ruined modern journalism.
ViciDraco · 36-40, M
Accessibility through smart phones has changed who uses and consume the internet pretty drastically. Places that can be quickly checked and posted to have a lot more regular people using them. Twitter and Facebook being primary among them. They don't require prolonged interaction and have broad name recognition (enough to make nightly news).

Places like here tend to be the domain of the introverts who spend all their time online. The fact that we spend so much time online is the only reason we found this place exists!

I don't actually use Twitter. But it is hard to not be fascinated by the spectacle.
DDonde · 31-35, M
More extreme views are also more represented, as they'll find more of an audience than they would IRL. And they may get the impression that there are more people that share their views than there really are.
SW-User
@DDonde Yep, and more extreme views feed off each other and become extreme through the online format. Anyone can find an echo chamber online.
LordShadowfire · 46-50
For another, 99% of people on the internet are comfortable expressing opinions they'd be afraid to express irl.
SW-User
@LordShadowfire True. And sometimes I think those opinions are better kept to oneself, especially if the most common result on the internet is having those opinions reinforced and encouraged.
SW-User
I am online far too much.
SW-User
@SW-User Same.
MethDozer · M
Big facts. There's at least on regular user here you can clearly tell thinks the shut-ins on reddit and youtube are representative of society at large and that they get all there news and social interaction from reddit and youtube.

Fact is 90% of these batshit to-dos pretty much exist in online circles. In the real world you never actually meet these people or see anyone endorsing them. It's just online being spewed by a core group of spergs.

 
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