I had the same thought as you, but there are perhaps other factors which could contribute to this too.
We see the chart and assume the shift is due to more negative bias in how people respond, but it could also be due to a change in how people post.
For one, the demographics of reddit would have slowly changed over time, from largely a bunch of nerds in 2010 when reddit was niche, to a more general cross-section of society as reddit became closer to mainstream social media.
This (among other factors) may have brought with it a shift in motivations from people genuinely seeking advice (and therefore posting truthful stories) to people seeking validation and a cathartic dose of upvotes (and therefore posting highly biased stories which favour themselves, and paint their partner in a terrible light)
Now, I don’t think that explains all of it. I do feel on a purely personal and qualitative basis that the Internet in general has certainly become more toxic over the past decade, and that people are more angry and hostile now. But I don’t think it’s necessarily a single-factor cause.
People started caring more and more about karma, so they (and bots) make more bs posts that attract attention. More people click and read about the most obvious red flags than they do about a little issue someone genuinely needed advice with.
Why would the bias change over time, though? That would exist in 2010 and 2025.
I had the same thought as you, but there are perhaps other factors which could contribute to this too.
We see the chart and assume the shift is due to more negative bias in how people respond, but it could also be due to a change in how people post.
For one, the demographics of reddit would have slowly changed over time, from largely a bunch of nerds in 2010 when reddit was niche, to a more general cross-section of society as reddit became closer to mainstream social media.
This (among other factors) may have brought with it a shift in motivations from people genuinely seeking advice (and therefore posting truthful stories) to people seeking validation and a cathartic dose of upvotes (and therefore posting highly biased stories which favour themselves, and paint their partner in a terrible light)
Now, I don’t think that explains all of it. I do feel on a purely personal and qualitative basis that the Internet in general has certainly become more toxic over the past decade, and that people are more angry and hostile now. But I don’t think it’s necessarily a single-factor cause.
People started caring more and more about karma, so they (and bots) make more bs posts that attract attention. More people click and read about the most obvious red flags than they do about a little issue someone genuinely needed advice with.
Good point. I was thinking more of the “Why is break up the number one answer?” than “Why are we saying break up more often than we used to?”
Regarding that, I’m with the other commenter who suggested karma farmers coming up with more exaggerated situations.
You are likely right about that. Even in 2010 it was not a destination for happy relationships.
And it does make me ponder relationship culture shifts over the last 15 years.
People spending way too much time together during lockdown? Not sure…