Negative Sentiment in Developer Communities
Negativity does not help us grow
For quite some time, since I joined social networks and developer communities, I have noticed a trend of negative sentiment prevalent in many discussions.
It is not criticism per se.
Let me illustrate a couple of examples:
- A member of one community shares a post about one framework that it is better than another framework.
- Supporters bless such posts with likes and positive comments.
- Members of the other community feel offended and start bashing the first framework and its supporters in comments.
This is an example of polarization of communities these days.
Replace framework with programming language, operating system or anything else from real life, and you will see the same pattern.
A couple of facts:
- I am a believer that everyone is entitled to their opinion.
- I also believe that criticism is healthy and necessary for growth.
- However, unjustified toxic negativity does not help anyone and just deepens the divide.
If you enjoy the use case of one framework, please share it.
If you like programming languages, please share why.
If you are not happy with the current state, go and create a ticket with constructive feedback.
It will not help anyone if you just bash others for their choices.
There are annoying bugs, missing implementations and wrong strategic decisions in every project out there.
Sometimes, you can revert them, and sometimes it would take the rework of the entire codebase.
If you care, contribute to the project and help out the community, but do not spread negativity just for the sake of it. Feel free to leave the community and find another one that suits you better.
It is a bit tiring to see content that is just bashing others instead of providing solutions, giving constructive feedback or alternative viewpoints.
When you are about to write negative comment, ask yourself:
- Is this comment constructive?
- Am I providing an alternative viewpoint?
- Am I helping the community grow?
If the answer is no, maybe it is better to just skip it.
Everyone has to start with themselves.
Everyone was a beginner once and had to learn.
Everyone picked the best tool for the job at that time.
When you see the consequences of the issue, take it as a learning opportunity and move on. Do not start harassing others.
It is hard as we are humans filled with emotions and biases, but we have to try.
This one is a more personal note from me to you.
Imagine what kind of treatment you would like to receive from others, and treat them the same way. Most probably, you would like to be treated with respect and kindness.
Maintain empathy for lack of understanding. Maintain purity of your heart and intention. (if you find the source of this quote, please let me know! I have it written down somewhere but do not remember where I got it from.)
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