4 ms·
very interesting write-up! social media could be accelerating groupthink. it's so easy for people to form a group that shares the same beliefs and opinions. in
by blondin 5y ago
very interesting write-up!
social media could be accelerating groupthink. it's so easy for people to form a group that shares the same beliefs and opinions. in the past it may have taken years.
nowadays it's a matter of minutes.
that sentence at the end about rationalists got me thinking. there is a group of people identifying themselves as rationalists on twitter. i have been very surprised how similar they are in their way thinking and doing. they recommend the same books, share the same ideas, do the same things, etc. a self-fulfilling prophecy.
just something i have been thinking about lately...
- paulryanrogers 5y agoAs a counterpoint I left religion in part because of recurring encounters with different evidence and perspectives online. It's possible I'd still believe in invisible friends without such low friction opportunities to interact outside my geographic bubble.
- mistermann 5y agoHow important do you consider the "invisible friends" aspect of religion to be in your overall calculation of the value (as opposed to the ~"objective correctness") of it at the individual &/or societal level?
- paulryanrogers 5y agoRegardless of level I now see only negative value in all aspects of religion.
- mistermann 5y agoIn Hindu, this phenomenon is referred to as Maya. https://www.britannica.com/topic/maya-Indian-philosophy https://www.britannica.com/topic/maya-Indian-philosophy To me, this is an extremely valuable insight into the nature of reality, although it is generally frowned upon by scientific materialists even though neuroscience and psychology agree (traditional religious people aren't the only ones who don't follow their scripture to perfection).
- SyzygistSix 5y agoAt a certain point it doesn't matter if the invisible friend is real or not if the relationship is beneficial. People have probably been personifying abstract ideas for this purpose since language began.
- paulryanrogers 5y agoMaybe. My experience included a lot more negatives for no benefit, so I'm not a fan.
- zby 5y agoAd rationalists - I don't quite understand your objection - if rationalists were different from each other - then they would not have a common name. We name groups of things and people because we think they are similar.
- mistermann 5y agoWhat's interesting about rationalists to me is that they seem to be irrational in such similar ways....which I suppose shouldn't be surprising, but it is kind of counter-intuitive/paradoxical.
- SyzygistSix 5y agoLike news and other media, I think social media is better at framing the questions we are supposed to think are important rather than the particular answers.