3 ms·
Also internet anonymity brings extremism out of people. IRL, when debating another person, most people IMO wouldn't be at least half as extremist as they're on
by SpanishConf 8y ago
Also internet anonymity brings extremism out of people.
IRL, when debating another person, most people IMO wouldn't be at least half as extremist as they're on reddit or HN
- detaro 8y agoThe Facebook-based comment sections on some news sites make me question that.
- naravara 8y agoAnonymity is part of it, but I think an understated part is just lack of community. The people are just names on a screen and it’s easy to lose sight of the fact that they’re people. The interface of reddit and HN kind of encourage this. Old PHP BBs used to have avatar pics and signature blocks and stuff that distinguished your post as yours. It sort of anchored your “content” to an identity, so over time a community develops and people start to develop reputations and stuff. That doesn’t happen as much when everything is visually indistinct from everything else.