Is it me or everyone since 2020 got more toxic and mean

It's not just you. 2020 was traumatizing and nobody ever talks about it. There were so many factors. Everything was tense in 2020, people were sick and dying, losing their jobs, isolated from friends and family, a lot of attention was being drawn to BLM and police brutality was being highlighted and shown everywhere, children, teachers and office workers had to adjust to doing everything alone and at home, children and teens were missing social and developmental milestones, everything was being politicized and made controversial.

After going through that stuff for as long as it did, everyone was just thrown back into life like it never even happened, nobody talks about it anymore, nobody actually recovered from it. So now when things get hard, people lash out. Its a trauma response. We were deprived of that sense of community and divided into a million factions. Life is stressful now too. things are tense. Its hard to have sympathy for eachother. best we can do is be the best versions of ourselves we can muster.

It's called an Extinction Burst. (An extinction burst refers to a phenomenon in behavioral psychology where a previously reinforced behavior temporarily increases in frequency or intensity before it eventually extinguishes. This concept can be applied to social behaviors, including those rooted in racism, homophobia, transphobia, and other forms of hateful ideology.)

From around 2020 onwards(and even before that), there has been a notable rise in social awareness about systemic inequality, discrimination, and various forms of hate. Movements such as Black Lives Matter and increased visibility for LGBTQ+ rights have prompted more open conversations about these issues. However, in response, there has also been a spike in visible hostility and hateful behaviors from certain groups who feel threatened by changing such their percieved societal norms.

When societal values shift, individuals who align with older, oppressive ideologies may feel their worldview(as well as their identity) to be threatened. This perceived threat can provoke a defensive response, leading to an increase in outward manifestations of their beliefs, such as hate speech or aggression.

Social psychology explains how people tend to align themselves with ingroups (those who share their beliefs) while viewing outgroups (those who don't) as threats. Increased visibility of marginalized groups can amplify feelings of exclusion or resentment among those who feel they are losing social status or privilege.

Certain societal frameworks reward forms of social toxicity, often via social media amplification or political support. This can create an illusion that hateful ideologies are gaining traction, inadvertently reinforcing those behaviors before they settle back into decline.

As societal disapproval of hate increases, those who uphold these ideologies may engage in more extreme expressions, aka an extinction burst. They feel compelled to act out in defiance of social progress, manifesting more toxic behaviors as a form of last-ditch resistance before facing social extinction of their beliefs.

As more individuals and institutions challenge hateful ideologies and elevate values of compassion and inclusion, the reinforcement systems for toxic behaviors will weaken. Social norms are shifting towards acceptance, making it increasingly unacceptable to espouse hate openly.

Ongoing movements aimed at educating individuals about the impacts of hate and promoting education as well as ethics have the potential to reshape cultural narratives. As conventional wisdom begins to favor the values of understanding and empathy, the prevalence and acceptance of hate rhetoric will likely decrease.

Psychological research indicates that empathy can be cultivated through exposure and education. Programs promoting understanding between different societal groups will likely lessen hostility and increase compassion over time. As more individuals reject toxic ideologies and promote kindness, peer pressure can shift behaviors. People are often motivated by a desire for social acceptance, which can foster a more humane culture when positive behaviors are celebrated.

While recent increases in social toxicity from 2020 onwards can be understood through the lens of an extinction burst, which is to say, characterized by reactive and intensified behaviors against the changing social landscape, the gradual decline of these harmful ideologies is underway. With concerted efforts toward education, engagement, and the promotion of empathy, society is poised to heal and move toward a more compassionate and humane existence, gradually reinforcing positive behaviors and dismantling the remnants of hate.

It was wild how everyone was making friends in public so easy with Pokemon Go and then covid happened and now people are VERY mean and just awful. I hate going out now.

I think they have. Anger and threats have increased a lot. Social media sites have become much more toxic.