It seems like if the statement is literal, then it’s self-disproving, since the person cares enough to say that, and the person who they were saying that to cared enough to say whatever they said or did prior. Also the likelihood of no one (as in, no human I guess?) caring about what they had to say seems very low, and chances are a large number of other people probably would care, too.
If the statement isn’t literal but more rhetorical, then I’m not sure what it means, but I suspect it basically just means “I don’t care” (as in the person who says “No one cares” doesn’t care themself and wants to express this in a way that seeks to hold more weight by asserting that all other people feel the same sentiment as them, even though arguably they demonstrably care somewhat if they went out of their way to say that, I guess depending on effort required, or perhaps didn’t care originally but then developed some degree of care as a result of the annoyance they felt at being exposed to something)… or maybe it just means “I don’t like what you said/did” or “I’m annoyed by you”… alternatively it could mean “I think you’re stupid/worthless”, “I disagree with you” or “I don’t want you to speak/speak about this again”, or similar.
Anyhow, what is the most appropriate way to respond to this? It seems like an emotionally charged statement that warrants, perhaps being completely ignored, or maybe a measured response seeking to find some understanding or common ground, though a witty retort could be appropriate if respectful (I don’t believe 2 wrongs make a right, unless the first wrong somewhat necessitates the second, if that makes sense). That said, I’m open to hearing any kind of replies that might be given, regardless of how cordial/civil (or not) they are.
Usually it would be used as a substitute for “shut up”. Your second paragraph explains it pretty well. Telling someone that doesnt talk to you personay “I dont care” is egotistic because you dont consider others opinions. Assuming noone cares makes that person seem like a kind of spokesperson for everyone else.
The response is difficult and depends heavily on the situation. A good general purpose response could be “speak for yourself”. Judging from your post, you seem to be a socially awkward person (not trying to offend you, sorry if I am), so chances are you are actually annoying people by eg talking a lot. If you arent sure, you could leave it at that. If the person trying to make you shut up is just a bully or doesnt like you in particular, you could start talking again after your response. The same for if what you were talking about was important to you.
You could also just try to confirm the statement. “does actually noone care?” Dont be needy or whiney about it though, keep your dignity. Chances are you wont get a response even if some people didnt mind you talking but wouldnt go so far as to say they were actively interested. But in case someone steps up and says they care, your win. If noone cares, you can accept it and stop talking but dont be offended, sometimes its hard to know when to shut up and you could use this as future reference.
Of course another good response would be something along the lines of “sorry, but you dont have to be mean about it”. It doesnt force the other person to get defensive, so the situation doesnt escalate. Also you dont leave yourself insulted.
Oh and also your point about people caring when the say “noone cares”. That is not the case. Caring about telling you that noone cares is not the same as caring about the topic itself.
I suffer from social anxiety, but I’m unsure how you inferred that based on my post or my writing style (I also have incoherent thoughts sometimes, so it may just be coincidental). Not offended at all btw, I only mildly care (lol). Just curious. And I appreciate your comment.
I guess first of all from the deep thought process involved. Most people dont analyse social interactions this deeply and dont put much thought into it. Also, you taking the statement quite literally, questioning whether actually noone cares, who it is that doesnt care or whether the statedment is logical in itself. Usually those thoughts wouldnt even arise in people (in my experience), the sentence would mostly produce a set of emotions and thoughts in the listener depending mostly on the context not necessarily on the choice of words or their meaning in a completely neutral setting