Sorry I didn’t mean to cause any offense but maybe I can clarify too. The people I’m referring to are what’s referred to often as “terminally online.” They could be doing anything with themselves and their lives, but instead they’re choosing to deep-dive on anonymous message board posters they disagree with, so they can tear them apart or call them out for some post made years ago, or an assumed affiliation or belief, that kind of thing.

It’s a choice to be vindictive and petty to people.

Like, yeah you’re right, sometimes looking at post histories and such can be helpful to unmask a bot net or a troll riling up a community, but I’m referring to people doing it just to be obsessively petty and vindictive to strangers.

But okay, in good faith I’ll add “decide they have nothing better to do” to emphasize one’s free will, because the joke is that anybody could be doing better than trying to dig up personal beef on each other over message boards when nothing is at stake lol.