Discord Brainrot
Maybe it's just my scrambled brain remembering things wrong. Or it could be me going crazy and being paranoid. But I don't remember anything this bad happening in other chatting programs like Skype. Feels like I'm living in the Twilight Zone.
Discord and I have a bad history together. Discord as a whole encourages a lot of detrimental behaviors that I've seen fester like open wounds over the years. Take the worst sides from sites like Tumblr and Twitter, throw all of them into a cramped space held together by Scotch tape and Elmers glue, and you've got this trainwreck malware. I'm not going to ramble on about its creator and the shady crap behind his past works, or how the bloated coding makes it as stable as a sleep-deprived caffeine addict on his 12th java shot. I mostly want to blab about my personal observations I've made over time.
Are you interested in running into hundreds of people who all seem to weirdly parrot each other's mannerisms and ways of speaking? Do you like being snapped at when you keep yourself "Invisible" all the time? What about a clunky list of servers you have to keep an eye on because otherwise useful information is non-existent outside of the walled garden? And walking on eggshells? We're talking tip-toeing on needle points, here.
The amount of stories I've read from others all seem to start the same: friend of theirs get into Discord. OP isn't interested in making an account. Friends get pissy to the point of borderline tantrums, or in some cases just cut off/ghost OP entirely. I don't know what it is about Discord, but it feels like it somehow makes people way more high-strung and histrionic. I've met some real winners on there and still wonder how the hell any of these weasels have friends.
Let me tell you something, man. People have secret servers. They might even have hidden channels inside their public server. They have convos you don't know about. And those convos might be about your "vibes are off." Weasels can tell when someone isn't like them; somehow their brains flip a switch, and they become ESP super geniuses when it comes to sniffing out the "outsider." Discord encourages emotional reactions, feel-good safe spaces, and hypersensitivity to anyone who even slightly rocks the boat. It also encourages cryptic, vague behavior when the group is "wronged" in some way. It could be a complete misunderstanding. I took a break from Discord for two weeks one time, and when I got back, my "friends" turned a 180 on me.
Even though I told them I needed a break, they accused me of "neglecting them out of spite." How the hell did you jump to that conclusion so quickly? I hate programs where you have to constantly check your phone or PC to avoid FOMO. Discord encourages terminally online behavior, and I firmly believe that's where brainrot accelerates the quickest. Communication overload, 100 messages shot out in five minutes...it'd make any brain burst, in my opinion. It's an unhealthy cycle that keeps getting worse.
"But Mimi!" I can already hear someone cry out. "This can happen LITERALLY anywhere else! Stop blaming Discord! Everything that's happened to you on there is YOUR fault! Why should I have to cut Discord off because you joined too many big servers with strangers?"
I'm not forcing anyone to cut the cord. But it could improve your mental health in the long run. I never interacted in bigger servers. I kept to myself with people I thought were my friends. My old group ended up backstabbing me when I had to get my life in order and didn't have time to be on there 24/7 anymore. Why does the blame have to be put on me? Weasels should be held accountable for their actions, too.
I can confidently say that I'm happy I got rid of Discord after being outcasted by my old group. I've been free of it for, gosh, 2 years? 3, maybe? It was like the fog in my head cleared. I wasn't as manic anymore. I didn't have to deal with emotional leeches any longer. Sadly, I still feel pressured to make a new account because everyone seems to use it and will un-person you if you don't have an account. Talk about unfair and frustrating.
My two actual best friends more than make up for it, though. Through thick and thin, we all have each other's backs. I wouldn't trade those two for the world. Quality over quantity. Cherish the bonds you've got with your true buddies.
I apologize this went on for a long time, but hey, I've got a lot to say. Expect more in-depth entries when I can get my thoughts together.
-Mimi