A big fuss over a trifle. There's so much ado over incidents that have gone viral and netizens are quick to make nasty comments on issues they dislike.
It appears many netizens like to leave unsavoury comments online when they come across something or someone they loathe.
The irony is they do it out of boredom. Social media has become a solace for many during this pandemic as they are separated from friends and family.
They find joy scrolling through their Instagram and Twitter feeds to quell the boredom. Many a time, they are thrown into the habit of observing someone online whom they love to hate.
Sometimes, they don't mean what they say and in some devilish ways, they rant about the inadequacy or stupidity of an individual who posted something they don't like.
From politicians to influencers, celebrities to colleagues, people are increasingly using social media to keep their friends close, but it seems they keep their enemies even closer. Sometimes, it's individuals they don't know personally and are not acquainted with.
Over the past weeks, as social media gets deluged with viral stories about a sexual harassment case allegedly involving a popular preacher or the brouhaha over a temple fence encroaching into a school, one can sense there is so much hate among netizens.
I could not stomach what people had to say in the comments section. The insults and abuses were beyond belief and civility. A friend told me one of the reasons could be "hate-following".
Many netizens indulge in hate-following, where they follow a celebrity, politician or an influencer whom they hate.
They love having a bit of drama — because of their boring lives — so they make nasty comments when individuals they love to hate posts something online, like jet setting to Paris when others are facing movement restrictions.
They hate it when celebrities, often referred to as the kayangan, get off the hook for flouting Movement Control Order rules or when politicians' drivers zigzag across congested streets at the expense and safety of other road users.
Hate-following is deciding to follow someone on social media even though you know you disagree with what they say.
Many of us don't realise that we sometimes indulge in hate-following. We do it with politicians and celebrities who have somehow made their way into the list of people we follow.
Another friend was telling me about the time he landed on a post by an influencer and politician whom he disliked. Clicking through the profile, he said, "I used to like this politician, but now I find him really annoying."
He admitted that he could unfollow him, but it has become a habit to check the politician's feed. He admits to taking screenshots of some of the politician's more cringe-worthy posts for the amusement of his group chat.
Many of us have become ambivalent and conflicted about who we are turning into. A sociopath who wants to see the fall of others? Perhaps there are politicians and influencers who make our blood boil when we look at their posts, but strangely, we keep going back for more.
It can become an obsessive, compulsive habit, aiming our hatred and negativity at a few individuals. It can become a problem and it can also reveal our mental state — depressed being one of them.
It is indeed strange that people indulge in hate-following, looking at and engaging with online content from someone despite having feelings of ill will or dislike towards them.
Celebrities like Neelofa and Lana Nordin have many hate-followers. Preacher Firdaus Wong also has a long list of hate-followers after his so-called "expose". Politicians perhaps have the most hate-followers, by the thousands from both sides of the political divide.
I believe this negative cycle may have become more appealing in lockdown as we suddenly found ourselves stuck in our homes with only our screens for company.
Since social media is one of
the primary sources of entertainment during lockdown, many have picked up the habit of idle scrolling, which can disconnect us from our daily routines.
Because of this, we sometimes do foolish things, like gawking at and rubbernecking the lives of people we envy and loathe.
The writer, a former NST journalist, is a film scriptwriter whose penchant is finding new food haunts