Grab The Popcorn: Why Do We Read Comment Section Fights? (Copy)

Social media has given rise to a morbid little habit - reading comment section fights. From the know-it-alls to the straight-up nasties, it seems we can’t turn away from a juicy comment section stoush. So, why do we delight in the disagreements of others? And is it a healthy pastime in which to partake?

The belief system reaffirmed

There is something so damn entertaining about reading comment section fights. Watching strangers from the other side of the world diss, dismantle and disparage each other is one of the digital era’s great morbid pleasures, like watching a car crash of ignorance unfold in front of our eyes.

But, like many other pleasures, we know it’s not good for us. It’s the third row of Cadbury after dinner or the bottle of wine you open a little early on a Friday afternoon. Given that receiving negative feedback on social media can have an adverse effect on wellbeing, it’s only natural that reading it should have the same effect - so why can’t we look away?

Reading comment section fights is an unhealthy form of entertainment, much like the other ghoulish ways we seek to invigorate ourselves through the medium. 

This unpleasant pastime is one that reinforces our unhealthy desire to prove the world’s inhabitants as a bunch of cruel ignoramuses intent on spreading negativity to people they don’t even know.

But it also works to reinforce our own belief systems about a subject, and this is not only an unhealthy way to do this, but it can also be dangerous.

What are belief systems & how does social media affect them?

Belief systems are defined as “a set of principles or tenets which together form the basis of a religion, philosophy or moral code”. We incorporate them to help us comprehend and interpret the world around us, and to a degree enlist them to govern the choices we make.

One of the best and cheapest ways to reaffirm our belief systems is through social media. In this global sphere of contentious commentary it isn’t hard to come across someone from the other side of the world who shares your views and thus reinforces your belief systems. 

It doesn’t have to be about anything serious, as haven’t we all felt a sense of relief at knowing someone else didn’t like an actor’s performance in this film or that a commenter didn’t like the dress so and so wore to the MET Gala? 

Having our views reaffirmed across social media is connecting, and makes us feel like there are other people out there with whom we could feel comfortable to voice our opinions. But is it really a healthy reaffirming if the things we are reading about others are negative? 

Regardless of whether it’s about someone else or between two or more people, reading social media abuse is an unhealthy thing to engage in. Research indicates that exposing people to social media “drama” can be overwhelming, and lead to a range of negative emotions including feeling worse about one’s own life.

So, what are some of the things you can do to avoid this new form of doomscrolling, where we seek to locate two or more individuals giving each other a hard time over something that is, of course, completely trivial?

Take 10 for your mind

There is always something you can do to break the spiral of negative social media use. After all, we can always direct our attention towards more positive activities, including finding more inspiring text to read (after all, the people you find arguing about a particular topic online are typically not experts, are they?).

We here at The Mindful Site always recommend putting the phone down and taking 10 deep breaths whenever we find ourselves about to jump into that unpleasant wormhole of social media negativity that can facilitate the creation of unpleasant emotions. 

Notice how you feel once that 10 seconds is up - do you still feel the need to read the comment section on that one Instagram video? If you feel a sense of relief, why not keep meditating? Given that social media can increase our stress levels and meditation reduces them it’s easy to see which one is better for improving our emotional wellbeing.

Sure, it can feel like a lot of fun to see other people be disparaged online, but this is the same form of addictive negativity we seek through receiving numerous “likes” or checking our ex’s feed - it serves no real purpose in the end. 

If you feel like going down the comment spiral is having a negative impact on your emotional wellbeing then it is important to remember that there are mindful techniques you can do to avoid it, with these techniques potentially helping to reduce any stress that reading the comment section may inflict on you!