NON-FICTION
Comatose in the Comment Section: Internet Trolls, Doom Scrolling and Procrastination by Nour Jamal
Like zombies undead, we collectively tap that video on our newsfeed. It’s trending now, three years since it was uploaded. Alas, today is the day this video brings out the wrath of us all. Together we head to the comments section. Suddenly, we all have something to say. “Conspiracy theory.” “Fake.” Unconsciously, the comment section becomes a tangle of fallacious arguments, memes, and frazzled nerves. There’s little meaning behind this kind of nonsense — no genuine recognition. Nothing but the trophy of getting the most likes; a worthless certificate that only proves you’ve been trolling comment sections long enough to know that blatantly commenting hate is the easiest way to plant your metaphorical flag in the data dirt pile. We’ve all seen those problematic pages — usually anonymous — that post purposefully antagonistic content to incite reactions. It’s a damaging cycle. We follow them. Then unfollow them. Then follow them once again. We love scrolling through the contentious content. Without fail, we repeatedly prove one of the most shameful faults in the human condition: the desire to seek out controversy. We like to see our prejudices exposed. We find enjoyment watching people disagree, argue and blame each other — it’s entertaining. Yet, online, people are rarely what they seem. Some become nothing but a phantom of perfection, squeezed into Instagram stories and constructed through filters. Anything to feel relatable. Anything to boost engagement. Those scattered hearts feel like warm hugs, peeking out from underneath angry-reacts and meaningless comments.
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