A recent investigation provides surprising insight into what goes on behind the screens.
Behind the scenes of shitstorms
Shitstorms have developed into a ritual process on social media in recent years. It usually starts with an action or statement that offends or angers a group of people. This triggers a wave of criticism, which often ends with apologies and admissions of guilt from those affected. The question is: Why do people participate?
Beyond Justice: A Matter of Pleasure
A recent study from Princeton University and Flinders University suggests the answer has less to do with social justice than we might think. In the title of the study “Doing Good or Feeling Good?” Justice Concerns Predict Online Shaming Via Deservingness and Schadenfreude” , the decisive motivation has already been hinted at.
The researchers hypothesized that online verbal abuse behavior is driven by both a person's desire to do good (justice motive) and a need for personal satisfaction (hedonistic motive). The latter is often expressed in the form of schadenfreude.
Schadenfreude at the heart of online insults
The study's results show that concern for social justice is not directly related to online abuse. Rather, the data suggests that schadenfreude plays a central role as a form of pleasure.
Mask of moral superiority
In particular, the so-called “woke people” who portray themselves as politically correct appear to have a penchant for public shaming, according to the study. They use it as a means of demonstrating their supposed moral superiority and virtuousness. Public shaming becomes an instrument to strengthen one's own position in society.
Conclusion: A dark side of online communication
The research results paint a rather bleak picture of human nature. They show that online insults often have less to do with the pursuit of justice than with the desire to gloat. This should give us all pause. We should remember that social media should not only be used to communicate, but also to reflect.
The boundaries between public and private are becoming increasingly blurred. And for this reason, we should be aware of what we share, how we react, and the impact our actions may have on others.
Source:
“Doing Good or Feeling Good? Justice Concerns Predict Online Shaming Via Deservingness and Schadenfreude”
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Notes:
1) This content reflects the current state of affairs at the time of publication. The reproduction of individual images, screenshots, embeds or video sequences serves to discuss the topic. 2) Individual contributions were created through the use of machine assistance and were carefully checked by the Mimikama editorial team before publication. ( Reason )

