Why are people on here just so aggressive the past few months?

[Ninjama1]

MN has always been a bit feisty depending too on where you post but it seems in the past few weeks that some people are just ferocious. You cannot say anything without someone jumping on someone else in a thread. Is it dissatisfaction with life? Is it all the cost of living? Are people just so frustrated with everyday life? I'm sure it can't just be me who has noticed?

I think there's a lot of barely repressed anger about so many things, a lot of fear and uncertainty, and it's seeping out around the edges in so many ways - online, in people's driving. . .

There have been a LOT of trolls. It has looked like a coordinated campaign at times.

I've been on here for about 4 years now and it's definately seemed worse in the last few months. People seem to be out looking for really personal and hurtful arguments, in some cases. Like you say, jumping on the tiniest thing and using it to beat the OP with over and over again.

I think it’s a good site in that people will speak truthfully. However sometimes they can be tactless and sometimes downright cruel.
I don’t understand it as often it will have taken some thought for someone to even post in the first place. I don’t think people realise the impact they can have.
I’ve not noticed if getting worse, but it would make total sense if it has.

I have been on here for donkey's years too. There are obv certain topics that are going hell for leather like the M and H ones but literally anything is up for a pot shot right now.

Mix of people out to wind others up and stress.
People are stressed with costs, and Christmas.
People have had subdued Christmases the last two years, and now some who were secretly happy with those dialed down arrangements are being forced into full blown Christmas again

Hard agree. The gender discussion board (which provides a valuable service) does make the whole site a target. Also, it's often the very first response which is really horrible, as if someone is waiting for new threads and whatever is posted gets jumped on.

It's a particular problem on threads where the OP asks for an opinion rather than advice - it doesn't seem to be the case for threads where someone is asking advice on their breastfeed 5 week old who won't sleep and is struggling with wind, for example. That's what makes me think it's trolls.

Don't think it is just here I think it seems to be the world over, people seem less tolerant, angrier, tired, more irritable. I wonder is it a collective trauma from the pandemic? It has been here for a while but that seems to have accelerated things.

It's no different to how it has always been.

People are more impatient, pushy, aggressive and confrontational in general - it's not restricted to online, it's like that in the real world too. Since Covid started sensible people try to minimise the amount of time they spend exposed in the real world so are spending more time online instead.

I agree with this possibility. People in general just seem very entitled now.

Being a bit more blunt than I would normally be.

This site is filled with odd, awkward people with few (if any) social skills, fractious relationships with their own families and friends and problems stemming from this in work and at home.

Of course, this doesn’t apply to all or even most, but some. And they set a tone which is unpleasant, rude and seeks to put others in the wrong constantly.

I wish MN would deal with it.

Possibly brinkmanship? Putting the “devastating” argument rather than a helpful comment. If you read it on a few threads it seems like that how the site works and so people comment in kind. I do read the same put downs time after time.

I also think that possibly everything has been done to death now. The vipers have nothing left to feast on and are turning on each other.

@Dotjones again you might have something there. Different world situations eg war create things that either bring out the best or the worst in each other. The Covid Lockdown will surely have affected communities and people in general. We already know mental and physical health have been adversely affected.

I get what you’re saying. I think people jab manically on their phones, post quickly and don’t think of the other person. But I also think ‘angry’ can be subjective.

I use tattlelife as well which is horrible about celebrities and influencers, but all of the advice threads are ‘be kiiiind 🌈’. Mumsnet has a bad rep on there for being spiteful and angry….ie. tells the truth.

The new baby and relationship are the worst as useless partners are excused constantly. On here they would be dragged over the coals for lazy bastards are. But on tattle it can sometimes be a game of ‘who has the shittest boyfriend?’ and collective martyr misery. I found Netmums the same too.

Everyone’s quite cold and knackered and fed up, I think.

I do find the more I use Mumsnet the more aggressive and arsey I get, it rubs off and you don’t quite realise it’s happening. Going to go cold turkey over Christmas and retreat back to my happier land of Instagram where everyone just shares TikToks, memes and chitchat in the DMs.

For the past year I have found it impossible to start a thread which asks for advice, without multiple posters questioning my 'story'.

I think at least 30% of MN are keen amateur sleuths, on crack and suffering paranoid delusions. Who enjoy a good wind people up.

MN has become the everyday arsehole project where everyone can enjoy being interrogated and insulted.

I don’t think it’s worse than usual. AIBU and Chat have always been a bit bunfighty but the other topics are pretty good.

I do get wound up by people coming on to Style and Beauty and saying how they’d never buy anything other than Tesco essential clothes (I’m paraphrasing but you get the gist) - entirely missing the point of S&B!

I like the feisty nature of MN.

Hiding behind keyboards most of them and not bothered by how they come across. They'd run a mile of it was to be said face to face. Utter cowards.

Completely agree @Minimalme - I started a lighthearted thread a few weeks ago, and immediately got a barrage of "this didn't happen" replies. It's just depressing and I should probably just take myself away from here tbh!

My advice to anyone who doesn't like it here is to stop creating threads about how horrid everyone is even 10 seconds and sod off to somewhere nice with flowers and unicorns. HTH

Perfect working example of an over the top and disproportionately hysterical response @WatchoRulo

Fortunately, after 10+ years I am not easily irritated.

@MaggieMagpie357 I started a lighthearted thread about getting my hair cut at the barbers in Style and Beauty.

I found it cheaper than a hairdressers and preferred the cut.

The replies were two-fold -

a) my hairdresser only charges £1.50
b) I don't want to look like a man

There are some from other places that have come to deliberately wind and upset people (women). After a couple of posts you get to "see" them as they come across as bored youngish males. I have also noticed a certain time stamp on some of these posts.