I have always been curious about one thing. People around me usually don't comment on things on the internet, such as leaving comments under a post or expressing their opinions on Twitter. However, if a question is asked in a private group, usually good advice is received. What I have realized is that people actually like to give advice and comments, but why don't most of us comment frequently on the internet?
I think there are two main reasons.
1. Fear of being attacked by others
In a community of tens of thousands of people, it is easy for the mentality of "whatever Lin says, you can't catch him" to emerge, and then the person who leaves a comment is attacked with malicious comments. It is very draining to respond to such malicious comments. If someone who genuinely participated in the discussion ends up being attacked, naturally no one would want to leave a comment, and naturally the comments will be dominated by trolls and assholes. I believe that without appropriate feedback mechanisms and management on the platform, it is easy to fall into this dilemma of how to maintain freedom while having appropriate norms. The best way to overcome this mindset is to recognize that the people leaving comments do not represent the majority, and there are more opinions that are not expressed and that you won't hear.
2. Fear of the peanut gallery
Perhaps your viewpoint is not wrong, but when the other party asks questions with a strong, intense, and questioning tone, it is easy to create the illusion of "I am the experienced one who is superior to you", and then the crowd will naturally lean towards that side. This invisible pressure is actually quite significant. What you need to understand is that usually in these situations, even if you are right, no one will come forward to speak up for you. And the more you reason with the other person, the happier they become. They can easily influence the direction by using emotional language.
My guideline for speaking on the internet is that I will never say things that I wouldn't say to someone in real life. I won't use derogatory terms, insults, or sexually demeaning language towards others. However, this kind of boring restraint seems to be ineffective on today's internet.
My solution
I occasionally share on social media and often encounter people leaving malicious comments. For me, the best approach is to simply ignore those comments and only interact with those who genuinely want to discuss. If it gets too extreme, I just block them.
Additionally, writing articles is also a good way. You can attract readers through SEO, while the trolls can only stay in one place and complain without reason. From the perspective of comments, I can understand why everyone always joins closed LINE or Discord groups. It is a sense of belonging and the feeling of being able to speak freely.
When you are seeking help, you don't care whether the issue can be seen by search engines or if the discussion is public. As long as someone is willing to answer you sincerely and support you, the positive energy that can be generated is greater.
I personally quite like the atmosphere on platforms like Zhihu, where questions are asked properly and people answer with sincerity. Various reward mechanisms allow those who are willing to answer to have better exposure and traffic, thereby creating a relatively positive atmosphere. If someone wants to be negative, let them be, but when the trolls become the minority, you won't care as much.