Angry and low-effort comments became more common at the beginning of the pandemic. I can't find it now, but I recall dang (HN moderator) even commented on the shift.
I think as remote work has become more common, many engineers are reaching to social media sites like HN to fill the void left by previous in-person office banter. The good comments are still there, but it feels like more work than ever to find them among the noise. I've also noticed an increase in the number of familiar HN screen names that pop up with the same angry perspectives on every thread of certain hot topics (Facebook, economics, cloud hosting).
This effect isn't exclusive to HN. The signal-to-noise ratio of the public forums and Slacks/Discords I frequent has also taken a dive since the start of COVID.
Part of my hope with this post is for people to see that all of us are a part of this general descent into sadness (and anger), to hopefully help pull us out of it - or at least help pull some of us out of it.
There's been a lot more political debates and especially irrational American right opinions on Covid issues. A lot of posts that seem to zealously push for things like lab leak theories or Ivermectin/Hydroxychloroquine studies. There's room for rational discourse, but there's a lot of seemingly emotional pleas and conspiracy thinking.
I think as remote work has become more common, many engineers are reaching to social media sites like HN to fill the void left by previous in-person office banter. The good comments are still there, but it feels like more work than ever to find them among the noise. I've also noticed an increase in the number of familiar HN screen names that pop up with the same angry perspectives on every thread of certain hot topics (Facebook, economics, cloud hosting).
This effect isn't exclusive to HN. The signal-to-noise ratio of the public forums and Slacks/Discords I frequent has also taken a dive since the start of COVID.