4 ms·
HN is nearly all small talk about the news. We aren't posting and critiquing each other's research papers. And we get a list of preassigning topics every day.
by lonelappde 7y ago
HN is nearly all small talk about the news. We aren't posting and critiquing each other's research papers.
And we get a list of preassigning topics every day.
- mLuby 7y agoAs a way for people to talk about unimportant topics, small talk serves a few vital functions: 1. it allows politeness without deepening the relationship. 2. it can be a breadth-first search of mutually-stimulating topics for in-depth conversation (which may lead to a deeper relationship if desired). 3. it can avoid accidentally offending someone with controversial topics or opinions. 4. is quick to disengage from, unlike a story or debate, so is useful as a conversational holding pattern. HN doesn't really fit any of those. Sure, some comments will say "my kid does this", but I find they're rare on HN (and usually downvoted); in general, comments are adding new data or engaging in debate.