Keyboard Warriors and Online Politics: Why Psychopaths, Narcissists, and FoMO Call the Shots

Why are online political discussions so chaotic, aggressive, and emotionally charged?A major international study (Ahmed & Masood, 2025) covering the U.S. and seven Asian countries gives a clue. The conclusion: online politics attracts a very specific crowd — psychopaths, narcissists, and people suffering from FoMO (fear of missing out).

In other words — if the comments section feels like a reality show, you’re not wrong.

Psychopaths – the main sponsors of online politics

The study’s most consistent finding: psychopathy is linked everywhere with higher online political engagement. That doesn’t mean every commenter has a diagnosis — it means that people with pronounced psychopathic traits (manipulative, remorseless, cold, conflict-prone) are the most active participants.

You’ll recognize them instantly: they’re always first to jump in, their tone is hostile (“you should all be deported”), and they take genuine pleasure when others lose their cool.

Narcissists – politics as a stage

Narcissists only join online politics when it brings them attention. In the U.S., Thailand, and the Philippines, narcissism was a strong predictor, while in more collectivist societies (China, Vietnam, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia) it wasn’t — self-promotion simply carries less social value there.

Narcissists are everywhere, especially on the Facebook pages of local politicians. For them, politics is just a stage — and the spotlight is all that matters.

FoMO – the fear of missing the fight

FoMO sounds like a modern syndrome, but it’s actually an ancient instinct: nobody wants to be left out. Online, that means if everyone’s sharing a story about a protest, you’ll share it too — even if you don’t know what the protest is about.

The research found FoMO to be consistently linked with higher online political engagement across all countries.

“We’re doomed,” “They’re all the same,” “Enough of the thieves” — classic FoMO comments.

It doesn’t matter if you know the facts — what matters is that you’re in.

FoMO is also why people who never watch Parliament sessions can still quote memes about a sleeping MP. Better to say something than miss the moment.

Intelligence – the quiet observers

One of the study’s most surprising findings: people with higher cognitive abilities are less likely to join online political debates. Why? Because they can better filter information — and they know arguing with “John87” in the comments won’t change the world.

In short, the smarter ones stay silent — while those with fewer filters type the loudest.

Psychopathy + lower IQ = full-blown keyboard warriors

The study goes further: the most active people in online politics are those high in psychopathy but low in cognitive ability. They thrive on conflict, ignore arguments, and can’t process complex topics critically.

In five countries (the U.S., Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines, and China), these were the loudest voices in political threads.

What does this mean for democracy?

If online politics is dominated by psychopaths, narcissists, and FoMO-driven participants, three problems follow:

More conflict – debates become boxing rings, not forums for ideas.

More misinformation – FoMO types share everything without checking.

Shallower discourse – participation is driven by ego or fear, not understanding.

In practice, that means the loudest voices get mistaken for the most influential ones, even though the real insight often comes from the quiet, rational observers.

Can this change?

The study’s authors suggest that platforms and policymakers should look for ways to encourage constructive — not impulsive — political discussion:

Algorithms that reward informative comments, not the most aggressive ones.

Digital literacy education so people can better tell facts from manipulation.

Contextual approaches — what works in the U.S. (individualism and spectacle) won’t work the same in Vietnam or Croatia, where social norms differ.

The local flavor

Next time you open a comment section and wonder why it feels like a reality show, remember this: Psychopaths are there to start fights. Narcissists are rehearsing their monologues. FoMO types just don’t want to miss the circus. And the smarter people? They’ve long since closed their laptops and gone for coffee.

For now, online democracy isn’t exactly a theater of ideas — it’s more of a cabaret with endless reruns.If nothing else, at least it’s free entertainment — no ads, just plenty of swearing.