You Will Never Win an Argument On the Internet—Here's Why
www.joanwestenberg.com
The Internet promised us a renaissance of discourse. Armed with instant access to all human knowledge and the ability to connect with brilliant minds worldwide, we imagined our online debates would elevate human understanding to unprecedented heights.  But two decades later, we scroll through our choice of social poison, watching

Most online debate is actively harmful to our thinking. Every hour spent arguing on Twitter is an hour we could have spent reading a book, writing an essay, or having a genuine discussion in a better environment.

The Internet promised us a marketplace of ideas. Instead, we built a gladiatorial arena where ideas go to die—time to find better places to think.

  • rbn
    7·
    4 days ago

    I don’t use Twitter I but have discussions on Lemmy pretty frequently. Obviously, you don’t always find a compromise but there were occasions where someone else convinced me of their point of view and vice versa. In the other cases, at the very least, it often helps me to get a new perspective on a topic.

    While I consider myself pretty left leaning, back on Reddit I also frequently read in the conservative subs. Just to get a more holistic picture of their world. I still disagree with the vast majority of that but I found it helpful to learn their standpoints rather than just demonizing the whole bubble.

    I think discussion is good and important - at least as long as both sides are respectful and open enough.

    • Rimu@piefed.socialOPEnglish
      3·
      4 days ago

      The author identifies 4 things that ruin it

      • Character limits force complex ideas into oversimplified snippets
      • [bad]Threading mechanisms make it easy to miss context and talk past each other
      • Like/retweet mechanics reward zingers over nuance
      • Notification systems interrupt deep thought with constant micro-distractions
      • Algorithmic amplification ensures the most inflammatory takes rise to the top

      None of which really apply to reddit/lemmy/etc.

      I’ve always felt that systems like what we have here are better and it’s good to see someone clearly articulate why (indirectly, by pointing out fundamental problems with Elsewhere).