Online Comments Are Toxic

I’ve always been curious about something: people around me rarely comment on things online, such as leaving a comment under a post or sharing their views on Twitter. Yet, if you ask a question in a private group, you usually get great advice. What I’ve come to realize is that people actually love giving advice and opinions. So why do most of us rarely comment in public spaces online?

I think there are two main reasons.

1. Fear of Being Attacked by Others

In a community of tens of thousands, it’s easy for people to adopt an attitude of “I’m anonymous, so you can’t touch me anyway.” Commenters often end up being attacked by malicious remarks. Formulating thoughtful responses to such toxic comments is mentally exhausting. If well-intentioned participation only results in getting attacked, naturally no one wants to comment anymore, leaving the comment section dominated by trolls and assholes. Without proper feedback mechanisms and moderation from platforms, it’s easy to fall into this dilemma of balancing freedom of expression with appropriate rules. The best way to overcome this fear is to recognize that vocal commenters do not represent the majority; far more people choose to stay silent, and their voices remain unheard.

2. Fear of the Peanut Gallery

Even if your point isn’t wrong, when the other party questions you with an aggressive, heated, and skeptical tone, it easily creates the illusion that “I’m smarter and have more experience than you.” The crowd will naturally sway toward their side, creating an immense invisible pressure. What you need to realize is that in situations like this, even if you are right, rarely will anyone step forward to speak up for you. In fact, the more reasonably you argue, the happier the other person gets—all they need to do is use emotionally charged language to sway public opinion.

My rule for posting online is simple: if I wouldn’t say it to someone in person, I will never say it online. I don’t call people idiots, use slurs, hurl insults, or shame others. Yet this kind of basic decency seems to have lost its place on today’s internet.

My Solution

I occasionally share thoughts on social media and often run into people with bad intentions in the comments. For me, the best approach is simply to ignore them and only engage with those who genuinely want to discuss the topic. If someone really crosses the line, just block them.

Additionally, writing long-form articles is a great alternative. You can attract readers through SEO, while trolls are left whining in place. Looking at it from this perspective, I can also understand why people are so eager to join private LINE and Discord groups—it’s that sense of belonging and the comfort of being able to speak your mind without fear.

When you’re simply looking for help, you don’t care whether the question can be indexed by search engines or if the discussion is public. As long as someone is willing to answer thoughtfully and offer support, it generates far more positive energy.

I personally used to like the atmosphere on Zhihu: questions were to the point, respondents put genuine effort into their answers, and various incentive mechanisms gave quality contributors better exposure and traffic, fostering a relatively constructive environment. Trolls will always exist, but once they become a small minority, you naturally stop caring about them.