Despite me having maybe a bit too much freedom on the internet when I was younger, I never fell down that hole. Even though many openings presented themselves, I always avoided them due to reasons that I then could not describe. I doubt that many others also had the same experience.
But then again, Reddit was really the only social media that I properly interacted with. I did also have a nice and fat dose of YouTube, but I (thankfully) never watched the kinds of videos that you speak of, I found them appalling.
I’ve only ever really heard of what you describe, as I don’t really talk much with people who hate my guts. But by now I’ve heard of it so much I don’t think that it’s an exaggeration anymore. I can only hope that those affected by it eventually free themselves, even if much later in life. Mindless hatred hurts everybody, including the hater.
I’m very intrigued. Could you please explain it? Even if you abandoned it, you still learned valuable knowledge.