The internet is kind of a predatory cesspit now
Points and comments are a snapshot, not live.
The internet has become a system optimized to detect and exploit human vulnerability for profit.
Stephen Diehl argues the internet evolved from an amateur public square into a machine that profiles weakness, optimizes pitches, and processes payments. The grift economy is massive and participatory: ordinary people become unpaid distributors for schemes. Crypto epitomizes this with its recursive structure where promotion creates price movement that recruits buyers. Platform algorithms are reinforcement-learning loops that experiment on human weakness, optimizing for engagement over truth. Disconnection is difficult but necessary to avoid mistaking a predatory system for a social world.
What commenters are saying
Commenters split into two camps: those blaming the system and those blaming human nature. Several argue the worst behavior comes from a small, loud minority amplified by attention algorithms, while most people remain kind in real life. One commenter notes anonymity removes social guardrails, with road rage as a real-world analog. Another points out the old internet had low anxiety; anxious posting is a newer phenomenon. A few suggest demonetized or citizen-owned platforms as a first step. Some question whether the negativity is artificial and AI-generated.