Stimming in public...

...should this be encouraged or discouraged? Explain.

(And, while we're on the subject of self-regulation, what do you think of the internet as a form of self regulation/self expression/self soothing? A kind of unmasking or reconnecting with one's true self?) What burden do we bear of not upsetting others by being weird, and what burden do they bear of just dealing, getting over it? Ignoring or blocking us if they don't like what they see us do?

I almost think I use the internet as a kind of intellectual stimming. A needed source of soothing and self-stimulation.

I guess I'm not sure exactly what stimming is and how it relates to/differs from "normal" tics that NTs have. Is any repetitive, physical self regulating behavior a stim? What makes a stim different from an obsession/compulsion? If it's there but barely noticeable and does not interfere with normal functioning, is it still considered a stim? Are people who stim more likely to have other compulsive behaviors?