Yeah, I don't really see the "fake nice" that people refer to either. Are there any particular examples to study? Because I have heard it too. And I think I saw an example at some point but I quickly forgot, as now the people I am interacting with are real enough. Besides, aren't people "fake nice" on facebook anyway? Like.... like.... like... like....
Is it some cross-cultural mixing where we get an impression where some people are being weirdly nice?
I don't know.
Believe me I have seen plenty of examples of people raving about mediocre poetry, amateurish fiction, uninspiring photography, terrible videos and music, etc.
I thought ... ok, maybe it's their friends and they have to say something nice.
And then I thought ... ok, it's people trying to fill in their quota of comments and there's so much crap on Steemit they might as well act like this is worthwhile so they can move on.
And then I thought ... ok, maybe they just don't know any better.
And then I thought ... ok, maybe they don't want to nip any spark of creativity in the bud before it even gets going. (I mean we all start somewhere ... and most early attempts are truly dismal. Hopefully they'll improve ... but I have to say in most cases I'm not optimistic.)
Since I am a master-of-moving-on when something doesn't impress me ... or strike a response, I find all the nicey-nicey comments pretty annoying. (But they do tell me who to avoid.) When I find a good post, a good comment, a thoughtful response, etc., those are the people whose blogs I check out.
I dare say the same mix of comments you'll see on any other platform though. Hmm. Facebook definitely. I suppose there they really may be friends. Or fake friends maintaining connections hmm. And that might be why you aren't there if you aren't there ;)
My response to such comments are mainly to ignore them. But actually I've found myself sometimes saying thanks regardless when they come to my post too. Depends on my mood I guess.
That is most definitely an element, because some people don't realize some terms of endearment are just poor cultural translations.
For my to call your "dear" seem condescending, but of course, in a different culture the literal translation is a social norm.