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Does everyone know that HN is big enough that organizations/corporations/governments pay people to come here to influence the discussions? No way we can have a

by dude01 9y ago

Does everyone know that HN is big enough that organizations/corporations/governments pay people to come here to influence the discussions? No way we can have a civil discussion here on this topic because of that interference. Using the label "conspiracy theory" is a good example of disrupting a discussion.

TheAdamAndChe 9y ago
It's also just a side effect of the voting system. Once the population gets big enough, people vote based on whether or not they agree with the poster instead of whether or not the post advanced the conversation. Over time, those downvoted stop replying due to a perception that they're part of the out-group, and an echo chamber forms. To prevent this, this site really needs to work hard to maintain an interesting, thought-provoking culture that welcomes dissenting opinions as long as they're well wrote and not overly emotional.
- dude01 9y ago
  I agree with what you said, and I agree with what I said. :-) It's funny how technical discussions are much better here, and anything touching politics is terrible. Kind of reminds me of how you can hear good debates on sports radio, but not politics.
  - TheAdamAndChe 9y ago
    Humans get weird when emotion becomes involved. Technical discussions usually have binary, definite solutions, while political opinions stem from culture and emotion, and usually don't have a definite solution. Then when people get stressed or feel attacked, they retreat into a tribal us-vs-them mentality that amplifies itself on the internet. Plus I do highly suspect that there is significant astroturfing with political issues as well, but because that line of thinking accomplishes nothing but makes me ignore opposing political opinions(which is bad!) I try to avoid that mode of thinking.
    - dude01 9y ago
      I hear you. Though what I try to do lately is: recognize when a partisan / wedge issue / kind of argument is being used. Then ask myself why. I think the goal of some people is to intentionally cause feelings of hopelessness, thus reducing civic involvement and rates of voting. You have to fight that!
- mrep 9y ago
  This is my biggest complaint with this website. There's also the 500 point minimum for down voting power which entrenches the opinions maintained by those currently in power.
throw-away-8 9y ago
What you say is a perfect example of a conspiracy theory.

by dude01 9y ago

TheAdamAndChe 9y ago

It's also just a side effect of the voting system. Once the population gets big enough, people vote based on whether or not they agree with the poster instead of whether or not the post advanced the conversation. Over time, those downvoted stop replying due to a perception that they're part of the out-group, and an echo chamber forms. To prevent this, this site really needs to work hard to maintain an interesting, thought-provoking culture that welcomes dissenting opinions as long as they're well wrote and not overly emotional.

dude01 9y ago
I agree with what you said, and I agree with what I said. :-) It's funny how technical discussions are much better here, and anything touching politics is terrible. Kind of reminds me of how you can hear good debates on sports radio, but not politics.
- TheAdamAndChe 9y ago
  Humans get weird when emotion becomes involved. Technical discussions usually have binary, definite solutions, while political opinions stem from culture and emotion, and usually don't have a definite solution. Then when people get stressed or feel attacked, they retreat into a tribal us-vs-them mentality that amplifies itself on the internet. Plus I do highly suspect that there is significant astroturfing with political issues as well, but because that line of thinking accomplishes nothing but makes me ignore opposing political opinions(which is bad!) I try to avoid that mode of thinking.
  - dude01 9y ago
    I hear you. Though what I try to do lately is: recognize when a partisan / wedge issue / kind of argument is being used. Then ask myself why. I think the goal of some people is to intentionally cause feelings of hopelessness, thus reducing civic involvement and rates of voting. You have to fight that!
mrep 9y ago
This is my biggest complaint with this website. There's also the 500 point minimum for down voting power which entrenches the opinions maintained by those currently in power.

throw-away-8 9y ago

What you say is a perfect example of a conspiracy theory.