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It's not a cesspool. It's exactly what you make of it. If I had to pick one social network from them all (HN, Reddit, FB, IG, excluding messaging services like

It's not a cesspool. It's exactly what you make of it. If I had to pick one social network from them all (HN, Reddit, FB, IG, excluding messaging services like WhatsApp/Signal) I would pick X every day. It's the only place where I know the the information is coming from a reputable source, because I follow people at the top of their fields.

worksonmine 3y ago
It's not about who you personally follow, or if they have a blue check. It's about the general culture on the site. Cancel culture was born on Twitter. The short messages make any meaningful discussion pointless and it's mostly idiots venting in their bubbles. I'm also little worried about your claim that you "know the information is coming from a reputable source". I take everything from everyone with a grain of salt, and constantly keep my own brain turned on. Many so-called "reputable sources" spread all kinds of unfounded bullshit on twitter, in media and everywhere else. I actually prefer anonymous discourse because the worst argument I know is the "reputable source" or "I have a PhD in X". The who shouldn't matter, as long as you can verify the what. I verify.
- martindbp 3y ago
  Either someone else decides for me what's reputable, or I do. I prefer it's me, it's not something I'd like to delegate. I read books, and if I like them I follow the authors. I follow people at the forefront of AI research etc. I also have a near zero-tolerance for political and incendiary tweets, it doesn't matter how amazing the person is if half their tweets are woke or anti-woke. I wish there was a way to filter out the bad parts so I could follow some of these people, should be fairly simple to implement. > "I have a PhD in X" PhDs are a dime a dozen these days, I don't believe in credentialism. They have to show that they've done something exceptional outside of gaming academia. This may all sound elitist, but I also wouldn't follow myself because I'm not exceptional in any way. By my own logic I probably shouldn't pollute HN with my midwit comments, but it's a selfish way of practicing writing and making arguments I suppose.

worksonmine 3y ago

It's not about who you personally follow, or if they have a blue check. It's about the general culture on the site. Cancel culture was born on Twitter. The short messages make any meaningful discussion pointless and it's mostly idiots venting in their bubbles. I'm also little worried about your claim that you "know the information is coming from a reputable source". I take everything from everyone with a grain of salt, and constantly keep my own brain turned on. Many so-called "reputable sources" spread all kinds of unfounded bullshit on twitter, in media and everywhere else. I actually prefer anonymous discourse because the worst argument I know is the "reputable source" or "I have a PhD in X". The who shouldn't matter, as long as you can verify the what. I verify.

martindbp 3y ago
Either someone else decides for me what's reputable, or I do. I prefer it's me, it's not something I'd like to delegate. I read books, and if I like them I follow the authors. I follow people at the forefront of AI research etc. I also have a near zero-tolerance for political and incendiary tweets, it doesn't matter how amazing the person is if half their tweets are woke or anti-woke. I wish there was a way to filter out the bad parts so I could follow some of these people, should be fairly simple to implement. > "I have a PhD in X" PhDs are a dime a dozen these days, I don't believe in credentialism. They have to show that they've done something exceptional outside of gaming academia. This may all sound elitist, but I also wouldn't follow myself because I'm not exceptional in any way. By my own logic I probably shouldn't pollute HN with my midwit comments, but it's a selfish way of practicing writing and making arguments I suppose.