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Number 5 is huge, and I always think to this reddit post on the subject: https://www.reddit.com/r/slatestarcodex/comments/9rvroo/most_of_what_you_read_on_the_i

Number 5 is huge, and I always think to this reddit post on the subject: https://www.reddit.com/r/slatestarcodex/comments/9rvroo/most_of_what_you_read_on_the_internet_is_written/ https://www.reddit.com/r/slatestarcodex/comments/9rvroo/most...

deleted 4y ago
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yakshaving_jgt 4y ago
Interesting. I disagree with #5 based on personal experience. Some of the best thinkers I know have at times been visible in the comments. In fact, meeting challenges to their reasoning is how they refine their thinking.
the_only_law 4y ago
I feel like there’s a level of irony to linking to a Reddit post given the subject.
SimonPStevens 4y ago
This is certainly true. However, consider that the 99% who don't contribute on Reddit, may be contributing elsewhere. I never post on Reddit, only browse. But I comment here. Maybe that's the case with most people. That the majority contribute somewhere, but just not all in the same place. This would invalidate the hypothesis that the internet is written by insane people. It's just that any one site only includes 1% of the people, evenly distributed across all the sites.
hbrn 4y ago
I did notice the same pattern: best people I worked with either don't write at all or write very little. Probably because, despite having better thoughts, smart people also have a much higher threshold for releasing their thoughts into the wild. And people who write a lot often tend to be talkers and not doers (there are exceptions of course, but they are incredibly rare). You'd think that the most truthful content is going to win the public. But the reality is that the most viral content wins. A lot of software development "best practices" are popular not because they are producing value (their value is often negative), but because they make us feel good. Very similar to religions, it's not necessarily the most utilitarian religions that are dominating the world. It's the most viral ones.

deleted 4y ago

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yakshaving_jgt 4y ago

Interesting. I disagree with #5 based on personal experience. Some of the best thinkers I know have at times been visible in the comments. In fact, meeting challenges to their reasoning is how they refine their thinking.

the_only_law 4y ago

I feel like there’s a level of irony to linking to a Reddit post given the subject.

SimonPStevens 4y ago

This is certainly true. However, consider that the 99% who don't contribute on Reddit, may be contributing elsewhere. I never post on Reddit, only browse. But I comment here. Maybe that's the case with most people. That the majority contribute somewhere, but just not all in the same place. This would invalidate the hypothesis that the internet is written by insane people. It's just that any one site only includes 1% of the people, evenly distributed across all the sites.

hbrn 4y ago

I did notice the same pattern: best people I worked with either don't write at all or write very little. Probably because, despite having better thoughts, smart people also have a much higher threshold for releasing their thoughts into the wild. And people who write a lot often tend to be talkers and not doers (there are exceptions of course, but they are incredibly rare). You'd think that the most truthful content is going to win the public. But the reality is that the most viral content wins. A lot of software development "best practices" are popular not because they are producing value (their value is often negative), but because they make us feel good. Very similar to religions, it's not necessarily the most utilitarian religions that are dominating the world. It's the most viral ones.