Did you hear the one about Ocean Gate’s ‘Titan’ submersible? Chances are if you’ve been on social media at all this week you’ve seen at least a few jokes that are in very bad taste—none of which are truly worth repeating.
Likewise, comments made by people continue to go lower than ever—such as those who thought it was funny to suggest pop singer Bebe Rexha was hit by an “eye phone” during her performance in New York City on Sunday after a fan through his mobile device at her.
It was hardly a joking matter, but clearly, there were plenty who feel that the comment section on various news sites is the place to try out new material for their future stand-up careers.
The sad part is that many people think these jokes “landed.”
Humor has always been subjective, especially following a tragedy, but in the social media era, such ill-timed jokes aren’t just in bad taste, they can be truly hurtful.
“Humor that has been in questionable taste has been around forever—and today many may cringe at the jokes made by the comedians in the 50’s and early 60’s. There were the Borscht Belt comedians that were vulgar and made fun of themselves and their families, friends and neighbors or the early TV comedians that nowadays would seem like they were making racist jokes,” said Susan Schreiner, technology industry analyst at C4 Trends.
“Despite the crudeness of the joke—there was still a kindness of spirit,” Schreiner continued.
Nowadays it is quite different, and much of the humor on social media is presented so as to laugh at someone, not with them.
“The advent of social media is certainly a catalyst for offensive use of language,” warned Schreiner. “Online bullying and mean-spirited postings are affecting the self-image of girls, for instance. People can spout off anything with just a click and hide behind a wall of anonymity. No direct human interaction is required—and there’s no sense of responsibility or fear of accountability.”
That lack of accountability exists across social media, added technology entrepreneur Lon Safko, author of The Social Media Bible.
“Even with regular YouTube videos, the comments just get nastier and nastier. It’s gotten to the point where a lot of YouTubers, just turn off the comments,” Safko noted.
Haters Still Gonna Hate?
In many ways, such nasty comments get ‘Likes’ even as just a few years ago, such jokes would have seen a professional comic booed off the stage. It also isn’t just limited to jokey statements and nasty memes either. Users on social media increasingly feel the need to tear down those that they disagree with like never before.
Instead of civil discussions, responses are often a full-on verbal attack.
“It’s also about narcissism, ‘Oh look… 79 people liked my snarky post!’ It’s a form of heckling and getting attention. The bigger the story, the more attention can be diverted from the story to them personally,” suggested Safko. “It is sad to see how social media has allowed us to devolve into a society so self-centered and narcissistic. As with most hecklers, the only way to defuse them is to ignore them, and don’t feed them their negative energy.”
This level of discourse is also a reflection of the deep divide in the country.
“This coarseness has reached new levels over the past seven years as the social discourse has gone on tilt,” said Schreiner. “We used to be able to agree to disagree and move on. There were legendary stories about former President Reagan and then-Speaker of the House Tip O’Neal. They could argue on different sides but at the end of the day they would meet for a drink.”
This isn’t limited to politics, but that certainly doesn’t make it better. Feuds are now public on social media, and people will post things that they once would have never said in polite company.
“People have forgotten how to talk with each other if they are on ‘the other side.’ Kindness and thoughtfulness are slipping away—as slurs, invectives, insults and unbecoming behavior are increasingly evident not just online—but also by politicians and celebrities on the evening news,” warned Schreiner. “Jokes represent the times—so it’s disappointing but no surprise when abrasive, foulmouthed or tasteless jokes are made at a time of tragedy given where we are as a society in 2023.”
What has made this all the worse is that the platforms do little to discourage it, and while perhaps it isn’t openly encouraged, such negativity actually keeps users engaged. That is good for the platforms’ bottom line, even as it is bad for society.
“Twenty years ago, we all just wanted to be loved,” explained Safko. “Today, we all just want to be ‘Liked.'”
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