Since the appearance of forums and social media, more and more people use invective language. I believe the main reason is that they do not have to reveal who they are and they can say whatever they can without consequences. They can express what troubles them and they do not have to worry about how this may affect their relationships with their friends and partners. To be honest, I myself also use invective language as an anonymous user in social media. Do not get me wrong, I never insult or get into a verbal fight with other people. I just like criticising politicians, celebrities or influencers. This is a way to express myself and reduce my anxiety. Of course, I also use harsh words because I know that my comment is insignificant and does not matter.
I never go further at this point. However, there is something that makes me worried: I can see that more and more people use invective language on Facebook, which is a problem because those people are not afraid of revealing who they are. They do it with their real name. This suggest to me that these people are fearless and extremely aggressive. So where does it lead to? I think after someone speaks up on Facebook in an aggressive, insulting way, they no longer are afraid of doing the same in public – in other words, they no longer behave, which can spark more violence.
I wish there was much stricter moderation on social media – but of course, engagement is what produces profit and profit is more important than mental health, unfortunately.