“Thanks, I Hate It”: 40 Unsettling Things That Nobody Wanted To See, As Shared By This Online Group (New Pics)

While the internet is a bottomless pit of weirdness, it’s also an endless source of information. But instead of spending time soaking in interesting knowledge, thousands of people seem to find entertainment in watching the bizarre. The internet culture database Know Your Meme explained that "Thanks, I Hate It" is a slang phrase people use to describe posts they deem unattractive or superfluous. The origin of the phrase is unclear, but its usage saw a spike in the fall of 2017 on Reddit and Tumblr.

Then, in 2019, the r/TIHI subreddit was launched to serve as an archive for unsettling posts and provide space for unreasonably uncomfortable viewing experiences, keeping the meme alive. As the founder of the online group, Markus, told Mashable, "The initial idea came from another moderator of ours (u/scrumbly) on another post on r/ATBGE ['Awful Taste But Great Execution'] three months ago. He posted a comment linking to this sub and as it didn't exist yet, I decided to make it a thing," Markus said. "I wanted to create a place for all the beautiful posts that are both likable and hateable at the same time. But I wasn't all that serious about it, as all subs I managed before were very small as well."

The phenomenon of seeking things we dislike or even utterly hate is a baffling one. To learn more about our interest in unsettling things online, we reached out to Dr. Paul Reilly, senior lecturer in communications, media and democracy in the School of Social & Political Sciences at the University of Glasgow.

"Despite moral panics about people being trapped in online echo chambers, key features of platforms like Twitter are accidental or incidental exposure to things we don’t like or disagree with," the professor told Bored Panda. "Their algorithms often amplify such content in order to encourage social media users to interact with their sites. Every click, like, share or comment is effectively profitable for these companies."

Whether we like it or not, we’re exposed to unpleasant content every single day. Stumbling upon unattractive posts makes most people feel a sense of frustration, as constantly finding themselves at the center of the weirder side of the internet is exhausting. However, some find entertainment in the things they hate. "A minority of people do appear to take pleasure from the act of commenting on things they hate," Dr. Reilly added. "I think this speaks to the affective dimensions of these platforms."

"Even those users who express a desire for greater civility on social media take the opportunity to express negative opinions. However, I don't think hate-watching is as widespread as it is often claimed in the media."