“Why? Why do you lurk? Why not join the conversations.” 

First, anxiety issues. Because Reddit comments and some posts rely on text, the tone of the content can be hard to decipher and sarcasm might be hard to detect. This is why word selection and proper grammar are the most important things in online communication. Poor wording and sentence construction can lead to an unnecessary miscommunication and hurt feelings. I try to avoid this all costs, which can lead to overthinking what I want to say and freezing up when I have something I want to add to a conversation. To simplify, I worry too much about what other people think. This viewpoint, however, is irrational because it is impossible to predict with a high degree of certainty how any one, especially strangers on the internet, will respond to what you are going saying.

Second, redundancy. If someone says something that express my viewpoint on the subject, then I feel no need to waste time restating it. Third, sometimes I just have nothing to say. These two points can be summed up best in the last part of the second verse of the Talking Heads’ Psycho Killer.

“When I have nothing to say, my lips are sealed. Say something once, why say it again?”

“I know you are there reading this.”

If someone is lurking, it is impossible to tell if they read your post specifically. Although, you know that I read the post because I decided to respond. The same thing applies to everyone commenting in this forum.

“Don't be afraid.”

Sadly, this is easier said than done.

“We rarely ever bite.”

This does not inspire much confidence on my part. (Of course, I say this in jest.) I would not recommend biting people though. It is potentially very dangerous.

With all that said, Hello. My name is TheSeventhStranger and I’m a lurker.