Many Aussies Believe It's Fun to Watch People Get Upset Online

Shitposting can be fun but can also be dangerous, especially when the comment is 'just for a laugh.

While it can be fun to shiftpost, it can also be dangerous, especially if the 'just for a laugh’ comment comes from a hateful, horrible place. The alarming Safer Internet Day report by Australia's eSafety commissioner revealed that 23% of those surveyed thought it was fun to see people upset by the comments/posts they made online.

Nobody likes to read doom and gloom news. It was 100% our intention to take the survey by eSafety this morning and find the good bits. Bad behaviour was too obvious and we couldn't sugarcoat it.eSafety surveyed 4,737 Australians aged 18 to 65 about their online safety experiences between December 2021 and November 2022.eSafety found that 75% of adults surveyed had experienced at least one negative online experience within the past 12 months.32% were sent inappropriate content, including porn or violence content, 30% were called offensive names, 16% received threats of harm or in-person abuse, and the list goes on. The most shocking part was that 18% had their location electronically tracked without their consent.

One in six Australians admitted to doing something online that was harmful to others. These were mostly men between 18 and 39 who lived in the'metropolitan' areas. In true keyboard warrior fashion 34% of victims who were targeted by anyone admitting to doing something wrong were total strangers.22 percent said they did it for fun. eSafety reported that 23% of respondents said it was "fun to see people get upset over something I've posted online".Only 32% of respondents knew what to do if personal information or images were shared without consent, and only 36% knew what to do if someone pretends to them online. The majority of respondents agreed that tech companies are responsible for their online safety.