Science Explains Why We’re So Much More Bold Online, Especially Now
Research from both sociologists and technologists explains why the present moment’s special blend of increased screen time and decreased in-person interaction has us feeling so gutsy right now
By Nick Wolny
There’s something about the combination of months-long quarantine, 10+ hours a day staring at screens, massive unemployment numbers, and proliferating misinformation that brings out the best in humanity. Kidding! Our digital worlds are saturated with charged rhetoric these days.
One ill-conceived social media post can trigger the downfall of a business or professional career, or at the very least a PR fiasco. From pageant queens to government officials, outspokenness and cancel culture are heightened at the moment, and this polarized landscape (along with the realization that saying nothing sometimes equates to being complicit) has you feeling the need to speak up virtually.
Urban Dictionary even has a phrase for this, “PC Bravery,” which they define as “False bravery that comes from hiding behind a computer screen. Includes (but is not limited to) saying things that you would never typically say in a face-to-face…
