Integrity Score 105
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Much like toxic waste, prolonged exposure to comments sections can cause nausea, hair loss, muscle wasting, and assorted other illnesses of the mind and body.
In this information age, a toxic comment section is not difficult to find. As politics and people become increasingly polarized, stumbling across something disagreeable online might as well be an everyday occurrence. Any article, YouTube video, or blog could become victim to a toxic comment section, a place that waits to unleash its full fury on anyone who dares convey civility or dissent. In a matter of moments, people in the comments are arguing with figments of their imagination, the perfect negative stereotype of the author or fellow commenter in their minds before hitting send. This is the impersonality of the digital age. Because comment sections exist, people believe it’s a free soapbox on which all opinions - even hateful, awful ones - are given space and voice. Then, when people express their hatred for online behavior, self-proclaimed “internet experts” will emerge to tell us “that’s just the internet. Learn to deal with it.”
These “experts” and modern-day comment sections as a whole give no humanity. In this day and age, everyone is viewed as a blank, emotionless internet user, with no history of being targeted for their sex, race, sexuality, religion, etc. In this assertion, the internet becomes a wasteland where only the “fittest” survive- and those who fit that bill are usually individuals who rarely face prejudice or hostility. Marginalized and targeted individuals are not likely or able to share their stories or opinions online when the door is left open to a world that demonstrates antagonism again and again.
But people remain people, whether behind screens or at your dinner table. This is why a platform like Pixstory is so important. We are taking action to decide what kind of spaces WE want to create. Just as we shape our social lives in a physical space, we can shape our digital space. Here, we combat entitlement by prioritizing safety, respect, and quality. I can only hope that other media platforms will begin to follow suit.