The Comments Section Is Ruining the Internet

Most Things Are Better Without a Peanut Gallery

If you've been on the internet for more than ten minutes, then you know where to go if you want to find the most toxic energy on any page or post. That's right, the comments. I know what it's like to spend more time in the comments section than on an actual video or post. They can be quite amusing, but they can also be quite hateful.

This post is not about feelings though. I'm not here to make a statement about hate speech. I've simply noticed that comments aren't necessary and I think that engagement would be much better overall if they didn't exist. I'm sure they are used by algorithms to determine engagement, but there is a better and much simpler way to do so.

What Would We Do Without Comments?

Uh, enjoy our lives? Spend less time absorbing toxic ignorance? Actually share content?

For some things on the internet, comments seem necessary. No one posts those "first day of the new school year" pictures on Facebook because they just want to show off full stop. They want everyone to gush about how adorable and loved their children are. It comes with the territory.

However, it can't be denied that social media sites are the most toxic and hateful places on the internet. Why? Comments. What would social media be without the social aspect, though? Are they a necessary evil? I don't think so.

Imagine a Facebook or an X without comment capability. What would need to be done to determine engagement and fulfill content creators' dopamine quotas? Upvotes. Reddit has got it right. It is the only social media site you can find now that gives you the ability to both upvote and downvote posts.

Dear YouTube, what was the purpose of removing the thumbs down button?

Being able to like or dislike a post is the only true metric that tells you "people want to see this" or "people don't like this".

Facebook already has a reaction function. Comments are just an unnecessary evil that have become so ingrained in our psyche about how social media and other websites should function that they are commonplace and always included. We can live without them. There are other ways to engage with content that would be more beneficial for creators.

Cutting Out the Comments Cuts Out the Trolls

The repost, the share, the reblog. Whatever you want to call it, it is the ultimate way to benefit creators and share your opinion (good or bad).

Why do we provide degenerate, meth-head Robbie a way to spread all of his ignorant rhetoric across the internet and not share it with grandma? I think she should know what kind of person he truly is if he wants to say something about the content he likes and dislikes. I think he should have to put it on his own page with the comments he would like to make.

No one is going to share a post or video to their own social media page with "Eat a dick and die." at the top. If something makes someone mad, then they should have to articulate why it is it upsets them and share with the class. This will not only encourage critical thinking, but encourage the spread of discourse that is actually productive.

As it stands, comments allow frustrated people a way to instantly release their rage, remain ignorant, and move on with their day. If they can't say the first thing that comes to their mind, it is going to bother them. They are going to have to think about it. Then they are going to have to actually share it with their super important opinion if they need satisfaction.

The magic part about the upvote and downvote functions is that they are not enough to put something out of someone's mind if they've got something to say. They will have to share it to get it out of their system and take ownership of their words on their page or website.

Of course there is always the option to send someone a message directly. Would people be willing to send their seething comments directly to someone without an audience and other trolls to make their awful words feel validated? Of course they would, but much less of them.

What About the Good Comments?

Who gives a shit? Give it a heart or a thumbs-up, and, please, do share. Sharing is caring.

Without Comments, Bots Have No Power

For years it has been obvious that bots are a huge problem for social media. They sew discord and cause people to fight in order to... Do what now? Oh, that's right. Drive up a post's engagement so that more chaos can take place. It's hard to find out what the public's true opinion is on issues anymore unless you're talking to real people, face to face.

The interactions I have in real life are wayyy different than the ones I have online. That seems to be most people's experience, so that should tell us all something.

If you're required to reblog a post or video in order to share your opinion on it or spread awareness, then you'll have to be a real person doing the work. I am sure there are ways that people could build up fake bot pages to circumvent this, but it will require them to gain an audience first. Otherwise they will be sewing discord to the wind.

If comments didn't exist, then there would be no more one-day-old accounts chiming in with rage bait and spam. Even back in the early days of blogging, we would have to keep our comments moderated because of bot spam. I think we have had enough of the bots. It is time to put an end to their reign of terror.

Reposting Content Would Drive Creator Revenue

Comments do very little for creators when it comes to visibility. Maybe the algorithm will pick up on a large volume and start recommending the content more in feeds, but that is about it. You know what already does this? Likes and dislikes.

The best way for content creators to get more advertising revenue, make more sales, or gain more fans is for others to share their posts and videos. With required sharing, whether or not someone's opinion on a particular post is bad or not wouldn't matter. It would mean the content still got shared.

No, You Can't Comment on This Post

Simply because "Fuck you. Share my stuff."

Also, comments feel like a responsibility that I don't want. I don't want to have to respond to people. I am not concerned with how they will make me feel because I wouldn't read them anyways. I just think there is too much negativity on the internet and not enough articulation or critical thinking. I think there is a better way.

I understand that comments can be very beneficial for business pages, and so that is where I digress on this opinion. I'm not sure how businesses would be able to see a large volume of opinions and get a comprehensive view of customer sentiment without major tracking going into reposts and shares. Otherwise, I think it is for the greater good that comments go away.

Do you agree? Disagree? Have a better idea? Put it out there, please. Just don't do it in the comments.

Image Source: Pinterest

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