
Being Extremely Online is a lifestyle that requires a unique set of skills and dedication. To be a main character, you need to be constantly visible and engaged with your online community.
To achieve this, you'll need to have a strong online presence, which means regularly posting high-quality content that resonates with your audience. This can include anything from witty one-liners to in-depth analysis of the latest trends.
Having a strong online presence also requires being responsive to comments and messages, which can be time-consuming but essential for building a loyal following. As one Extremely Online individual noted, "I spend at least an hour a day responding to comments and engaging with my audience."
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What it Means to be Extremely Online
Being extremely online is a phenomenon where individuals have a strong presence on the internet, often to the point of obsession.
Their online personas can be a curated version of themselves, showcasing their interests, hobbies, and opinions.
Extremely online people often spend a significant amount of time on social media, with some spending up to 3 hours a day on platforms like Instagram and Twitter.
Their online activity can be highly engaging, with some individuals amassing thousands of followers and likes on their posts.
This level of online engagement can have a profound impact on one's mental health, with research suggesting that excessive social media use can lead to increased symptoms of depression and anxiety.
Some extremely online individuals may even feel a sense of obligation to constantly produce content, feeling pressure to maintain a certain level of online presence.
Online Presence and Influence
The term "extremely online" gained use over the latter half of the 2010s, particularly with the increasing prevalence and notability of Internet phenomena in all areas of life. This phenomenon has been described as "swallowing democracy" by journalists, who claim that a "great convergence between politics and culture, values and aesthetics, citizenship and commercialism" has become "a dominant mode of experiencing politics".
Internet culture has become a significant aspect of modern life, with extremely online people showing an interest in topics that "no normal, healthy person could possibly care about". The term "alt-right" was added to the Associated Press' stylebook in 2016 to describe the "digital presence" of far-right ideologies, highlighting the significance of online discourse in shaping our understanding of politics.
The online presence of individuals and groups has become a crucial aspect of modern society, with extremely online people often being described as "pop culture fandoms, just without the pop". This shift in online behavior has led to the creation of new categories and labels, such as the "dirtbag left" and "doomerism", which are often defined by their close association with online discourse.
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Criteria
The term "extremely online" gained use over the latter half of the 2010s, often in conjunction with Internet phenomena in all areas of life.
These individuals are interested in topics that "no normal, healthy person could possibly care about", according to The Daily Dot. They have been analogized to "pop culture fandoms, just without the pop".
In the 2010s, many categories and labels came into wide use from media outlets to describe Internet-mediated cultural trends. These include the alt-right, the dirtbag left, and doomerism.
Here are some examples of these categories:
- Alt-right: A term added to the Associated Press' stylebook in 2016 to describe the "digital presence" of far-right ideologies.
- Dirtbag left: A group of "underemployed and overly online millennials" who "have no time for the pieties of traditional political discourse".
- Doomerism: A term that combines "blackpilled despair" with spending "too much time on message boards in high school" to produce an eclectic "anti-socialism".
Fame, Influence, and Power Online
The "wife guy" phenomenon, a guy who posts about his wife, became the subject of five articles in leading U.S. media outlets in 2019, showing how online presence can lead to mainstream recognition.
Chrissy Teigen is an example of someone who has been described as extremely online, suggesting that having a strong online presence can be a key factor in achieving fame and influence.
The in-character Twitter account dril is credited with popularizing the term "corncobbing", which refers to someone losing an argument and failing to admit it, further highlighting the impact of online culture on mainstream discourse.
Baked Alaska, a pro-Trump internet personality, was involved in the 2021 storming of the United States Capitol, where fans livestreamed and took selfies, demonstrating the potential for online influence to shape real-world events.
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Joe Biden, on the other hand, has been cited as the antithesis of extremely online, with The New York Times writing in 2019 that he had "zero meme energy", suggesting that not having a strong online presence can be a deliberate choice.
Andrew Yang, a former presidential candidate, has also been described as extremely online, showing that having a strong online presence can be a key factor in achieving influence and recognition.
Rules and Effects
Online discussions can quickly devolve into chaos. The 1% Rule states that only 1% of users actively create new content, while the other 99% lurk.
As I've observed, Godwin's Law often comes into play, where the probability of a comparison involving Nazis or Hitler approaches 1 as an online discussion grows longer.
It's not uncommon for online debates to degenerate into arguing over definitions. Layne's Law notes that every debate eventually degenerates into debating the definition of a word.
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The internet is full of misinformation, and it's easy to get caught up in the Dunning Kruger Effect, where people of low ability mistakenly assess their cognitive ability as greater than it is.
Skitt's Law warns us that any post correcting an error in another post will contain at least one error itself, so it's essential to double-check our facts before responding.
Cohen's Law is a humorous reminder that using a cliché argument can be a sign of losing the debate. Munroe's Law, on the other hand, is a more serious note that you'll never change anyone's opinion by making a post on the internet.
The Streisand Effect shows us that attempting to censor information can have the opposite effect, publicizing it more widely. This has been my experience with sensitive topics online.
Social Media and Online Platforms
Social media has become an integral part of our lives, with over 3.8 billion people using social media platforms worldwide.
The average person spends around 2 hours and 25 minutes on social media every day, which adds up to around 5 months of continuous scrolling per year.
Social media platforms have become a breeding ground for online communities, with many people finding a sense of belonging and connection through shared interests.
For example, online forums dedicated to gaming have given rise to a new generation of esports professionals, with some teams earning millions of dollars in prize money.
Social media algorithms prioritize content that generates high engagement, often leading to the spread of misinformation and propaganda.
However, social media has also been used as a powerful tool for social change, with the #MeToo movement and Black Lives Matter movement using social media to raise awareness and mobilize support.
Online platforms have also enabled the growth of e-commerce, with many businesses shifting their focus from brick-and-mortar stores to online marketplaces like Amazon and eBay.
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