ot3:
ot3:
there are no hard rules for human interaction but honestly i think everyone online would benefit hugely from operating under the assumption that, unless you have been given a specific reason to think otherwise in discrete instances, internet strangers do not want to be approached with:
- your trauma, illnesses, or deep-rooted self worth issues
- any come-ons or sexual content
- over-familiar playful rudeness
- information about your dnd characters/ocs
- disagreements with their harmless subjective opinions
if it is your first time speaking with someone i can not highly enough recommend that these do not be your opening topics
something that has happened enough that it’s officially a Pattern of internet behavior: i will make a tweet that’s like, a jokey headcanon about a piece of media, and then someone i’ve never spoken to before in my life will come into the replies to try and offer a directly contradictory and actively depressing take. and either within their initial reply, or once i’ve expressed polite disagreement, they’ll make sure i know that the reason they have this headcanon is because they’re projecting their own trauma or self worth issues onto a fictional character.
and the thing that really gets me about this is that i am like 90% sure these people don’t have any ill intentions or even think they’re particularly overstepping. but i just can not fathom what the intended response to these things. i have NO idea what sort of reaction they’re looking for. it’s such a weird and uncomfortable spot to be put in. it’s a great way to get instantly put on my mental list of people to never engage with in the future
We’ve all heard the “I like pancakes” / “Oh, so you hate waffles?” example of a social media exchange, but we don’t talk enough about how “I like pancakes” / “I can’t eat pancakes anymore since my brother choked to death on one before my eyes” is not a great approach either.
Parasocial relationships don’t just happen to celebrities. Tumblr has such a conversational nature and unique sense of identity that I really think people forget that we’re not all just automatically friends, or at least in the same social circle. From there it’s the shortest of leaps to oversharing.