hate-follow

To hate-follow someone online is to spend time looking at their site or reading their blog just so that you can feel self-righteously scornful and indignant.  It is gratifying to pour scorn on someone for being stupid or ugly, morally or politically reprehensible. This is all done in perfect privacy so there are none of the risks associated with an actual challenge to someone else’s point of view. You can shout as loudly as you like, vent your rage, let off steam with no danger of pushback from the other person.  Hate-following makes us feel better about ourselves in a somewhat negative way, and can be addictive.  It might be better to spend our time on simpler pleasures.