The Day I Kissed Comment Culture Goodbye This personal essay reflects on the author's 16-year journey with online comment culture and the decision to leave it behind. Early Engagement and Evolution The author began commenting around 16 years ago, starting with Hacker News. Over time, commenting expanded to platforms like Reddit, Substack, and Twitter. Frequency increased from every few months to multiple times a day, becoming an addictive habit. Commenting involved engaging with headlines, skimming articles, and crafting responses. Comments varied from insightful and humorous to nitpicky and curt, offering both debate and entertainment. Active commenting felt like being part of an elite "internet socialite" group, gaining upvotes, engagement, and recognition. Benefits of Commenting Sharpened writing and logical skills. Developed a unique voice and personas (teacher, economist, debater, troll). Improved debate skills and self-expression. Overall, it made the author a "mostly better person." Reasons for Saying Goodbye A broader reflection on life priorities and internet use led to reconsideration. The excitement of "new" online content lessened; quality over quantity became more important. Despite extensive social activity, commenting produced zero genuine friendships. Comment culture is fundamentally flawed in building lasting social bonds. The Problem with Comment Culture Making friends involves three steps: meeting new people, turning strangers into acquaintances, then friends. This requires significant time and social energy (e.g., 200 hours to form a close friendship). Comment culture demands social energy but yields only ephemeral exchanges with strangers. It favors reputation and fame over real connection. Each comment thread is a transient community with mostly anonymous strangers. Interactions in comment sections rarely lead to meaningful relationships. Online platforms prioritize engagement and data monetization, not true connection. Social exchanges become performances for an anonymous collective rather than genuine dialogue. Looking Forward: Seeking Real Connection Acknowledging market forces prioritizing engagement over meaningful interaction. Embracing efforts to cultivate real friendships through consistent, focused social investment. Prefers spaces with known, cared-for people over anonymous public forums. Plans to shift participation from comment culture to more intimate platforms like Discord. --- In essence, the author bids farewell to the comment culture that was once a vibrant part of their internet experience, recognizing its limits in fostering true connection. The essay is a thoughtful meditation on the trade-offs of online social activity and a call to invest time in building authentic relationships offline or in more private digital spaces.