@Daojoan Yes! I wrote a similar post recently: https://www.terracrypt.net/posts/meditating-medium-message.html

I realize it's a bit funny to say this on a microblogging platform, but I do think short-form media are often pretty bad at being spaces for teaching and learning, even noncommercial ones like this. They can provide pointers to longer articles to read, but the short form messages themselves just aren't very conducive to it I think

@Daojoan

"Never Argue with idiots,
They drag you down to their level,
And beat you with experience!"

George Carlin ,and a few others

You Will Never Win an Argument On the Internet — Here’s Why

@Daojoan fantastic article!

I do learn a lot from the Internet and social media, but only when I shut up and read people’s opinions rather than debate with them. If it seems to me that a person might be receptive to feedback, I might occasionally ask for clarification of facts or assertions, but I won’t debate them.

But watching the daily devolution of online debates tells me a darker truth: the very act of arguing on the Internet is making us collectively dumber. This sounds counterintuitive. Debate sharpens the mind, right? Exposure to different viewpoints broadens our perspective. That’s what Socrates taught us, what our schools drill into us, what every “how to think better” course preaches. But something fundamental has been broken in discourse, and we need to understand why before it breaks us too.

Yes, I learned that in school too. Looking back on it, it seems like yet another piece of bologna based on the philosophy of “competition makes everything better,” and “free market of ideas,” fed to us by the authors of our school history books who were very deliberately trying to indoctrinate us into the death cult of capitalism.

@Daojoan

Picture perfectly describes the post!
I 100% agree with everything said as well.

I think we should use this picture every time we see someone arguing, and say "this is how you both look" 😄

@Daojoan

All roads eventually led to mastodon for me. Now armed with so much wisdom. Having learnt so many endearing comebacks. Such as, "All my trolls are morons". 🤣 As invariably right by their very nature.

@Daojoan

It's much easier it is to spread misinformation than it is to debunk it. Someone can just write a catchy 'Coffee causes cancer' article and people start sharing it left and right. But for trying to correct it or prove it's false, one has to dig up scientific studies, cite experts, and explain the actual research... and even then, some people still won't believe you.

@Daojoan @cascheranno

My favorite argument was when I simply quoted the dictionary. Each reply was angrier than the last, and I simply quoted the definition of one of the words they used.

Drove them up a tree. They lost their mind.

Most fun I've had with my clothes on.

@Daojoan
Great article.

Do have any sympathy for the idea that we're not trying to change the other persons mind so much as we're doing it for the benefit of someone else who's going to read the thread?

Edit: realised I wasn't clear. I mean, so that when some one says "Climate change is a hoax" there's a reply underneath explaining that it isn't, so a passerby brought there by the algorithm sees the lies debunked.

@Daojoan https://mastodon.social/@saliaku/113992401701713812

It's nice to see that arguments don't blow up and become trending in the fediverse

@Daojoan I was reflecting on my interactions on Reddit during the past year and reached the same conclusions, even though I never elaborated them as well as you do.

For one thing. I was thinking that platforms should give more weight to discussions that extend over several exchanges/comments and longer spans of time, rather than rewarding only up-/downvotes.