It goes like this...
The world spends so much time on a computer now, we have forgotten how to act like normal human beings. As a result, psychologically, we push an immense, even over-weight amount of importance to what we read online, reacting to it with over-emphasis and almost always out of context. We build up castles, fences and border stations to only let in those who write the same words as we do online. If you don't fit in, you must be the worst of the worst enemies. You must DIE (or at least die online to the extent we can shame you out of appearing again).
The fact is, 99 percent of the people online and they way they behave today wouldn't happen in person. It's also the reason why many people, faced with a conflict or stressful situation in the real world, shy away or do nothing. They literally don't know how to behave or act. Only the over-testosterone'd types who punch/scream first and grunt later do anything. And, because they know everyone else will just stand their or, worse, back away, they charge forward.
While all the above might sound paranoid, ask yourself...are you one of those people who do nothing or shy away when something wrong happens in front of you in real life? If you saw a weaker person being beaten in public, what would you do? Just watch? Maybe pull out your phone and hope someone that will make it stop? Or would you just turn and walk away?
Most of us have this great idea that modern society is really full of do-gooders and it will come to the rescue when needed. The cold truth is, no, people won't do anything. They will jump en masse and go viral online, but in the real world, the masses are nowhere to be found.
This is beautiful scenario for authoritarian types and something the rest of us should be worried about. If no one is going to take action in the real world, how hard is it then to corral everyone online?
BTW, 40 years ago George Orwell wrote and published 1984, and we are closer to it than ever today.
