Talking About Netiquette in the Comments Section
Siobhan: Hey, who is, um, Josh Mason? I saw- I saw on Facebook he was, um, in your comments section.
Tom: Don’t even get me started! Um, oh my gosh … I posted about a situation while I was walking my dog the other day and an unleashed dog came up to me, and I just got really angry, so I posted about it.
Tom: And he just started commenting all of his opinion on this post and I don’t even know who he is. So, just some troll. That’s all he was.
Siobhan: Oh my gosh. People are wild! People are so rude on the internet! I don’t know why people think no one can see their comments. I mean, you would never act like that in person.
Siobhan: Every time I look at a news article, the comment section is just completely wild.
Tom: Yeah, it’s ridiculous.
Siobhan: I know.
Tom: It’s insane, but, you know, sometimes I get really stuck in them and I just have to keep reading cause I love to see all the different bias that people have on there. It’s kind of so entertaining sometimes. But …
Siobhan: Yeah, “doomscrolling.” I do the same thing.
Tom: It’s- it’s a disaster.
Siobhan: I can’t look away! But it just seems like people get, um, I don’t know …
Siobhan: When people are anonymous or not face-to-face with the person that they’re talking to, this side of them comes out that’s just so unbelievably rude and judgmental.
Tom: Yeah, exactly! Uh, it’s- yeah, I agree. But, you know, sometimes it’s nice to see the people who come out advocating for the people who are right and, you know,
Tom: standing up for them and supporting them, cause you still see some normalcy sort of, you know, with the crazy comments that are there.
Siobhan: Yeah, I agree. I- I think I- y- you kind of have to try to be polite on the internet in a way that in person it’s automatic. But on the internet you have to remind yourself to, uh, be positive or- or listen to people.
Tom: W- that they’re actually people and not just, you know, an avatar or something.
Siobhan: Right. Yeah, you have to, like, really remind yourself of that.
Vocabulary
Don’t even get me started – a phrase used to say that you have a lot to say about a topic, usually because it makes you angry or annoyed, “Don’t even get me started on how terrible the traffic was this morning!”
unleashed dog – a dog that is not on a leash or tether, allowing it to run freely, “The park has a specific area where an unleashed dog can run around safely.”
troll – a person who intentionally leaves annoying, rude, or offensive messages online to upset people, “Don’t argue with that troll in the comments; he is just trying to make you mad.”
wild – crazy, out of control, or highly shocking, “The online arguments over the movie’s ending were completely wild.”
stuck in – unable to escape from a situation or activity because it holds your attention completely, “I got so stuck in watching that new TV show that I forgot to cook dinner.”
bias – a strong opinion or prejudice for or against something, often leading to unfair judgment, “The news report showed a clear bias toward one political party.”
doomscrolling – the act of obsessively scrolling through social media or news feeds to read negative or depressing stories, “I spent two hours doomscrolling last night and ended up feeling incredibly anxious.”
anonymous – not identified by name; having an unknown identity, “An anonymous user left a kind message on my blog today.”
judgmental – too quick to criticize or form a negative opinion about other people, “Try not to be so judgmental of others before you know their full story.”
advocating for – publicly supporting, recommending, or speaking up for a cause or a person, “She spends her weekends advocating for better recycling programs in the city.”
standing up for – defending or supporting someone or something that is being criticized or attacked, “Thank you for standing up for me when the bully was making fun of my shoes.”
normalcy – a situation or state where everything is normal, usual, and expected, “After months of chaotic renovations, our daily routine finally returned to normalcy.”
avatar – a digital icon, picture, or character that represents a person in an online forum, game, or social profile, “She chose a cartoon cat as her online avatar for the video game.”