"This could have been useful to Extremely Online People like the alleged shooter, who was turned in by some of his own family members and who might have been dissuaded from his actions had he engaged more directly with them. (Of course, simplistic advice like this is often wrong; difficult family members and broken relationships might mean that in-person connection is also unhelpful for some.)"
"we are not wired as human beings-biologically, historically-we have not evolved in a way that we are capable of processing those types of violent imagery... This is not good for us. It is not good to consume."
"social media is a cancer on our society right now. I would encourage people to log off, turn off, touch grass, hug a family member, go out and do good in your community."
Extremely online writing is cryptic, meme-driven, and jokey even about serious or disturbing issues. Online communities can potentially enable or encourage violent actors, and the alleged shooter may have been influenced by such spaces. Violent video shared widely on social media harms viewers who are not biologically equipped to process such imagery. Social media is described as destructive, prompting advice to log off, reconnect offline, and engage in community. Family intervention sometimes prevented violence, but in-person connection is not always possible or helpful for those with difficult relationships. Social media also enables political mobilization and exposure of powerful actors.
Read at Ars Technica
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