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Re:Reddit and the Struggle to Detoxify the Internet by soundwave106 on Monday March 12, 2018 @04:54PM (#16571521)
Most of the problems of the Internet are mimicked in real life. That's why I don't think "real identities" would solve much, to be honest. Before trolling, for instance, there was the art of the prank (some harmless, and some downright mean -- just like trolls!), and the term "rabble rouser" seems to date back at least a couple hundred years. Some people in real life interact with others in rather toxic manners, in one form or another.

I mean, you get toxic behavior even on something like Nextdoor, where you pretty much know it's the neighbors across the street. Technology has just made things more convenient -- social media removes any curation, and technology also has made some means of harassment much easier to execute.

Myself, personally, I avoid social media that encourages toxic behavior (which usually means, smaller, special interest type sites; social circles that you know; etc.). This involves some degree of moderation or self-selection.

I don't see a good way around limited moderation for Reddit either, which is unfortunate in that it is hard to moderate something that size well (it's usually inconsistent and often arbitrary-ish).

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