Study on Reddit user habits reflects behavior across internet

I see it all the time.

My colleagues or I write a story, and almost instantly someone comments on it online, either asking a question or making an "observation" that makes it blatantly obvious they didn't read the piece in its entirety, or at all.

Are you still there? Just checking.

On a more personal level, I once wrote a column about how I feel it's inappropriate to share sonogram pictures on social media. Not long after it was published I received the most vile email from a "reader" claiming I hate babies and families and that I value life about as much as if it were a polyp on a colon.

Had this person read my piece in full, they would have reached a line in which I state these images are sacred and should be shared only with family, not the entire digital world. Apparently, this reader didn't get that far, though. They likely saw the topic, didn't like it and exploded. They ended up sending me a lovely apology letter the following week.

I've always wondered about these folks. What compels one to take the time to comment on a news story they don't actually bother to read? What's the point?

Trolls aside, you'd like to think those bold enough to make a public comment on an online thread would want to make sure they know what they're talking about. Well, if that's your standard, the internet, for you, is likely a giant dumpster fire of disappointment.

Non-readers posting comments is not a new online behavior. As a reporter, I've learned the unfortunate truth that not everyone who comments on my work will really read it — but that doesn't make the consequences any less frustrating. Because while lots of people are blowing off news stories, or engaging with ones on which they're not knowledgeable, complaints about the spreading of fake news are surging. See the problem here?

A recent study by researchers at the University of Notre Dame found that more than 70 percent of content recommended on the popular social news website, Reddit, is voted on by users who have not actually read the posts. The study linked this behavior to cognitive fatigue. Meaning people are so overstimulated by the flow of information they no longer think or read, they just vote. Whether an upvote or downvote, it doesn't matter. Voting is easier than reading.

This practice is in no way specific to Reddit. Rather, it can be found across the internet, most noticeably at its intersection with social media.

The study found many users are simply "headline browsers." Meaning they only give consideration to the headline before giving a story their stamp of uninformed approval. However, I'd even go so far as to argue that a lot of those on the internet don't even read a whole headline before commenting, liking and sharing. This is how so many Onion stories, with an obvious fake headline, are shared as if they were true. Sadly, I've seen many of my own Facebook friends fall victim to this nonsense.

In addition to being cognitively overwhelmed, internet users' mental exhaustion is also linked to online aggression, the study found.

Seems legitimate. When we're tired, we get cranky, and when we're cranky, we sometimes say or do things we don't necessarily mean. Although, the internet seems uniquely unapologetic in most cases.

In light of all this madness, here are a few suggestions to make the internet less stupid in 2018:

If you're tired, stay off the internet and take a damn nap.

Understand that you can't cry fake news if you're helping to spread it.

And please, if you come across a post on social media and you read it and enjoyed it, don't just like it, share it. This is one of the only ways to push back against those who will continue to share bad content just because of snazzy headlines.