Why are people online so hostile? Reasons.

Erica Friedman
Jul 29, 2017 · 3 min read

If you’ve ever attempted to join a new online platform, you’ve encountered hostile users. You say you prefer character Y to character X and the next thing you have 40 comments telling you to kill yourself. You walk outside your house and see a neighbor and wave at them, but when they go back inside, maybe they spend hours sending death threats to strangers. What the heck is with people? Why are they so hostile online?

Just as the right-wing have cultivated fear and intolerance in the TV-watching audience, hate groups have actively exploited the insecurities…

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