SO made their bed. Enjoy the snark, mistreatment, and power trips while it lasts. There are definitely gentler and better communities out there.
I agree that the snark shouldn't be there but stack overflow is a good resource for lurkers and people who don't care and aren't so hurt by online mistreatment. It's just randos on the internet.
The way SO folks talk to you ... I'll just say: try that offline and I'll pull your card no ifs or doubts.
And guess what? All I do on SO is ask stupid ass questions. One time someone scolded me, said I should know better for asking a certain question that was against policy of something given that my rank was so high. You know what I said to him?
Nothing. I just didn't give a shit. Stackoverflow is one of the few places on earth where you can ask the dumbest questions with zero consequence. The consequence is just in your head. Better to launch that dumbass question in stackoverflow than on your company slack.
I probably have 10 questions with negative points. My highest ranked question was likely the stupidest one I ever asked.
Now as for me: I don't mind being stupid (look at how often I get downvoted here in HN: water off a duck's back). I want to be treated in a dignified way. And if that's not happening and there are better sources out there, then I don't have to play the game of reading someone's snark or passive aggressive bs.
I don't want to read it not because it affects me in some psychological way (the internet is full of cruelty and I can handle it ok), but because it's tiresome: I've seen it before and have had it happen to me so many times that it's just boring.
If you treat me like shit but help me solve the problem, ok thank you. The problem is solved. Now on to the next. But if you treat me like shit and don't solve my problem, well then, I'll look elsewhere for the solution.
What better source is there? Stackoverflow is the best IMO. I'm up for a better resource if a better one actually exists.
It's the moderation scaring away the people who answer questions. Just because they haven't shooed away everyone doesn't mean they haven't had an impact.
I know that I no longer browse relevant SO topics "for fun" anymore.
(This is the real answer to the "why does tech company X have so many employees" question)
Here's a prototype of an average tone-deaf user of SO who think their imaginary internet points actually count. The point being raised here is the difficulty new users (with no imaginary internet points, but with dignity and self-respect) face while submitting a questions/answers to SO. Not people like you who've normalized the bullying for "getting info". Guess what, now with ChatGPT you can get answers that are on average of much better quality than average new SO answers without tolerating pricks.
if you ACTUALLY read the post you'll see that I literally said I asked the stupidest freaking questions ever. My entire post is trying to prove to him that asking dumb shit questions on SO is harmless and can even net you empty worthless points to be one of the top posters.
I don't even answer questions or ask smart questions on SO. I direct all the stupidest and most embarrassing questions I've ever had to that platform.
There's a way to foster new people who are interested in your field. There's a time to explain something, and a time to say you're at a point where you should be able to grasp this, and point them in a direction, and wish them well. There's never a time to make someone feel stupid for simply asking a question, even if it really is a stupid question.