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The article presents small discussion forums as safe and cosy, which they can be, but their insular nature also makes them a perfect breeding ground for extremi
by chilmers 3y ago
The article presents small discussion forums as safe and cosy, which they can be, but their insular nature also makes them a perfect breeding ground for extremist views. We shouldn’t ignore that most of the radical politics and conspiracy theories swirling Twitter are born in such small forums.
- minton 3y agoI purposefully expose myself to alternate viewpoints from my own. It’s how to prevent the frog from boiling into an extremist (L or R) without noticing. I have enough conviction in my beliefs that I can read contradictory views without getting emotional. I don’t understand the desire to surround yourself with clones of yourself.
- BothSidesVirus 3y agoSome people/opinions are so intellectually bankrupt, unless you’re there to correct them (fruitless), you’re wasting oxygen by consuming the content. > I don’t understand the desire to surround yourself with clones of yourself. Every society ever follows the formula of being with people who share similar characteristics one way or another. Not that crazy.
- mbg721 3y agoIt's good to do that when you're prepared for it, but it's exhausting having political screeds permeate every discussion. I miss when it was a faux-pas to bring up matters of religion and politics.
- imbnwa 3y agoI mean are we really comparing the niche impact of 00s 4Chan w/ modern Twitter? 00s 4Chan didn't radically alter political discourse in America, and as far as conspiracies go, I mean its not even comparable.
- BlueTemplar 3y ago4chan isn't your typical forum though. Especially not circa 2014, though I would guess that Twitter might have a worse effect now.