You Will Never Win an Argument On the Internet—Here's Why
www.joanwestenberg.com
The Internet promised us a renaissance of discourse. Armed with instant access to all human knowledge and the ability to connect with brilliant minds worldwide, we imagined our online debates would elevate human understanding to unprecedented heights.  But two decades later, we scroll through our choice of social poison, watching

Most online debate is actively harmful to our thinking. Every hour spent arguing on Twitter is an hour we could have spent reading a book, writing an essay, or having a genuine discussion in a better environment.

The Internet promised us a marketplace of ideas. Instead, we built a gladiatorial arena where ideas go to die—time to find better places to think.

  • @Gradually_AdjustingEnglish
    6•4 days ago

    I guess the fediverse isn’t the internet? Around here I frequently admit to being wrong and acknowledge when someone has a point, so I can confirm some people are winning arguments around here.

    My idea of winning an argument is (usually) turning a disagreement into a valuable conversation. The twitter/bsky thing is too short form to have ever made that feel like that was possible. The medium is the message.

    • @Jumi
      5•4 days ago

      I love being proven wrong because it means I learned something new.

    • EpheraEnglish
      1•4 days ago

      Yeah, the audience is smaller and also scientifically minded. If someone admits to being wrong, that’s often seen as character strength. But I guess, also just having a higher education allows you to not feel attacked in your whole self-worth, if you’re occasionally wrong.