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I think about this a lot- many of the online spaces I used to enjoy have been completely overrun by people that are a particular combination of mean, ignorant,

by _yb2s 2y ago

I think about this a lot- many of the online spaces I used to enjoy have been completely overrun by people that are a particular combination of mean, ignorant, and 100% sure their opinions on everything are objectively correct and final. Anyone not fitting into those 3 in the same way they do, quickly gets fed up and leaves. In particular, I am not sure why people are so mean online. I try to be kind to other people even if I disagree with them, but pretty much cannot find anyplace with other people that feel the same. I feel like it is infecting me, and I am not as kind to other people as I used to be or would like to be. I probably need to just stop talking to people online entirely for my own mental health, and contribute to the evaporative cooling of the entire internet.

JumpCrisscross 2y ago
> 100% sure their opinions on everything are objectively correct and final The internet isn’t great for nuance. When commenting or communicating online, I’ve often tightened up my language for succinctness.
- _yb2s 2y ago
  The problem is that the world itself is just too complex that without nuance, you're not talking about anything meaningful- so what's the point? On HN this is particularly challenging because we get a mix of experts and non-experts (and people that have different levels of pedanticness) - so almost any possible statement is going to be attacked for both lacking nuance or being too detailed (and frequently both at the same time). However the people here are nicer, more open minded, and more accepting of nuance than most places online.
  - JumpCrisscross 2y ago
    > problem is that the world itself is just too complex that without nuance, you're not talking about anything meaningful- so what's the point? To get someone to do something. There are very few corners of the internet conducive to debate. (Here is one of the exceptions.)
- bdangubic 2y ago
  does this work? I find when I try the same to be “worse” in some sense, but perhaps I am not “doing it right” for the lack of better explanation…
  - JumpCrisscross 2y ago
    Yes. Broadly speaking, in one:many messaging, speaking with conviction (and later qualifying) lands better than constant qualification.
- Lammy 2y ago
  Voting/karma systems changed the nature of communication compared to traditional forums. Despite supposedly replying to each other, the participants become mere props for the real conversation which is between each participant alone and the larger crowd.

by _yb2s 2y ago

JumpCrisscross 2y ago

> 100% sure their opinions on everything are objectively correct and final The internet isn’t great for nuance. When commenting or communicating online, I’ve often tightened up my language for succinctness.

_yb2s 2y ago
The problem is that the world itself is just too complex that without nuance, you're not talking about anything meaningful- so what's the point? On HN this is particularly challenging because we get a mix of experts and non-experts (and people that have different levels of pedanticness) - so almost any possible statement is going to be attacked for both lacking nuance or being too detailed (and frequently both at the same time). However the people here are nicer, more open minded, and more accepting of nuance than most places online.
- JumpCrisscross 2y ago
  > problem is that the world itself is just too complex that without nuance, you're not talking about anything meaningful- so what's the point? To get someone to do something. There are very few corners of the internet conducive to debate. (Here is one of the exceptions.)
bdangubic 2y ago
does this work? I find when I try the same to be “worse” in some sense, but perhaps I am not “doing it right” for the lack of better explanation…
- JumpCrisscross 2y ago
  Yes. Broadly speaking, in one:many messaging, speaking with conviction (and later qualifying) lands better than constant qualification.
Lammy 2y ago
Voting/karma systems changed the nature of communication compared to traditional forums. Despite supposedly replying to each other, the participants become mere props for the real conversation which is between each participant alone and the larger crowd.