Online Overload: Spending too much time on social media leads to a harmful “chronically online” mindset

“Chopping tomatoes is elitist.”

To anyone not buried in their phones, this statement seems absurd. However for Twitter users replying to Jaya Rajamani’s (@timeforjaya on Twitter) Tweet playfully making fun of adults who don’t know how to cook, this seems like a perfectly logical train of thought.

The original lighthearted Tweet reading “you ever try to cook with friends who swear up and down they don’t know how to cook from scratch? and then you realize they don’t know how to chop a tomato” was received with unnecessary hostility. I watched incredulously from my phone as Rajamani was attacked by Twitter users claiming that neurodivergence often prevents people from following directions in recipes, that people with neglectful parents have never learned to cook from scratch and that cooking from scratch is exclusively reserved for privileged, wealthy people.

I originally dismissed this dumpster fire of a Twitter thread as a one-off act of stupidity. However, this is just one example of a new trend of being “chronically online” —  a recent phenomenon where internet users spend so much time online that it warps their view of reality. 

Though this mindset can be mildly annoying at times, it’s part of a bigger picture. Lack of real-world experience prevents web users from communicating in effective, logical and productive ways about issues like politics and social justice.

It’s hard to navigate the internet without running into your fair share of “chronically online” users. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve commented my opinion on a post only for angry internet dwellers to ignore any amount of nuance and slap an arbitrary label on their reply. Ableist, misogynistic, classist — whatever “woke” buzzword was trending that week.

When used effectively — or when people are logical thinkers — social media is a valuable tool for social movements, pop culture discussion and current event updates. However, when people are too focused on creating arguments for arguments’ sake, the effective and powerful potential of social media as a medium for change is thrown in the garbage can. 

Youths need to be better-versed at communicating in online spaces as the rise of social media practically demands the skill. If you can’t discuss Oscar nominations on your Instagram page without lashing out at people who don’t share the same viewpoint as you, then how do you expect to communicate with future employers, collaborators and other people via the internet? 

Even more importantly, our generation needs to be able to band together online to organize for social justice movements. We saw it in 2020 — the Black Lives Matter movement was at its most influential and real, legislative progress was being made. Part of the reason? Young people organizing and sharing information in online spaces.

While other generations relied on physical letters and word-of-mouth, we are lucky to have access to massive audiences of like-minded people to share injustices and rally together with. Why would we squander this valuable opportunity because one poorly-worded comment is intentionally misinterpreted and blown out of proportion?

Being chronically online isn’t just a harmless annoyance we have to deal with while scrolling on TikTok or Twitter — it can be deadly.

The 2019 Christchurch shootings prove that when chronically online rhetoric gets out of hand, people get hurt. Brenton Tarrant’s planned killing of 49 Muslim worshippers in Christchurch, New Zealand was a direct result of these social media echo chambers where strong opinions get stronger and hate gets spread.

While this is an extreme example and an argument on Twitter doesn’t carry the same weight, the sentiment is the same: spending too much time online harms real-world communication.

So next time you’re about to hit the “post” button on your angrily worded Tweet accusing someone you don’t of some arbitrary offense, take a step back, set your phone down and take a walk in the fresh air. If you still feel strongly about your opinion and can back it up calmly and respectfully, then sure, by all means share it. But more often than not, you’ll realize that any blind rage is a result of sitting on your phone for just a little too long, and your angry comment is better off left in the drafts.