The Comment Section

Overwhelmed by opinions

This may only apply to the internet generation, but, can the comment section be destroying our individuality?

Growing up with the internet, and growing up with “social media” has undoubtedly, (and unfortunately), shaped the person I am today. That is something I can’t deny. But why would social media have such an impact on my individuality? I have free will don’t I? I could do a deep dive into this topic for hours, but for now, I want to direct your focus to the concept of “the comment section”. I want to draw attention to the comments section in order to unpack how this sea of opinions that is consumed daily has an impact.

It’s rare I watch a video or see a post and don’t proceed to look at the comments. It’s like, “Okay, I’ve formed a thought on whatever I just viewed, but I NEED to know what everyone else is thinking, what’s their opinion?” Are they hating, judging, idolizing, or admiring whatever is on their screen? “I need to know because I don't wanna be the odd one out, the only person who isn't thinking what everyone else is thinking.” I will admit, that there have been plenty of times my opinion has changed just from looking at the comment section. And recently I became aware of how habitual this has become. I’ll be reading or watching a piece of media without a “comment section” and I feel confused, like how do I form my own opinion without knowing everyone else’s. This raised a huge red flag in my mind. It’s a bit concerning to realize. And again I’ll admit, this concept is probably one of the reasons why I like *Letterboxd so much.

I've also noticed the comment “I ran straight to the comments.” on TikTok in reaction to an outlandish video. To me, this comment implies the viewer knew there would be such an intense reaction to whatever strange they just watched, that their first thought is “Check the comment section!”

So is the comment section affecting the youths' ability to form their own opinion? Is that a bold statement? Are we always looking to compare our own opinions to others to avoid singularity and find solidarity? Or has this been a concept for as long as humans have been on earth, before comment sections?

Let me know what you think.

*Letterboxd - a movie reviewing site that the younger generation has taken over to write mostly unserious and unhinged reviews of movies, essentially, it’s a comment section for movies.