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Very similar situation, but in Physics, LOL. My self esteem was so low that I just assumed she was being lazy and taking advantage of me. I KNEW she was smart enough, but she kept asking me for help over and over. I don’t just give people answers, I work through it with them to teach them. Haha, looking back on it, she was probably just enjoying that interaction, meanwhile, I’m stewing inside about how this girl could be so ignorant as to accidentally keep sending me flirty signals and messing with me so she didn’t have to do her work. Funny thing is, I did like her. It just didn’t compute in my teenager brain that a girl would want to talk to me for any reason beyond getting some quiz answers out of me.

Weak person’s idea of a strong man.

Poor person’s idea of a rich man.

A liar’s idea of a man with integrity.

An uneducated opinion of what it means to be smart.

Maybe a rogue entity trying to anonymously use it to train an AI or LLM. Either for its data or to learn how to more effectively attack.

This is a good question, though. Seeing horrible things on the internet can affect you. Anywhere from getting wigged out to full out trauma is possible.

Personally, if I come across something like that, it’s a good cue to take a quick break from screens. Go for a walk. Eat if you’re hungry. Drink if you’re thirsty. Spend quality time with your pets or plants if you have any. Pay attention to how you’re feeling and do what might be necessary to make you feel good and healthy. In that state, it’s easier to bring yourself back to the here and now. Look around you and appreciate your life. Seeing how real and raw those things are can give a person perspective, but if you overexpose yourself or ruminate on them, it can fuck you up a little bit. Even if you’re “desensitized.”

If you’re lucky enough where things like that aren’t a regular part of your life (as it is for most of us here), use it as a lesson in not just taking care of yourself, but also of others and society as a whole. There are fucked up people in the world, yes. Sometimes the bad guys win and terrible or disturbing things happen, yes. It’s best to maintain pride in knowing you’re not trying to contribute to that problem, in whatever little way you can.

And if you can’t seem to shake it, get some therapy. Not just for that one thing, but, it may be likely you’re slipping into rumination or worldviews that make it difficult to handle depression. Therapy is great, for real. Shop around and find a therapist you like.

In a single shot, too.