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You don't have to engage with people on the Internet

xeiaso.net

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Re: You don't have to engage with people on the Internet

#101

Post by Eisenstein »

notacoward wrote: post #34
Kamq wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> On the internet, it is usually very clear that you will accomplish nothing except maybe introduce receptive onlookers to a new idea, so the choice to minimize engagement is easy. I'm going to disagree here. I've learned quite a lot from internet arguments. Admittedly, the majority of it was from attempting to argue positions I don't hold. You're taking it as a given that the only goal of an argument is to convince…

> there can be value in making an argument specifically in bettering your own understanding of a point If you want someone to educate you, the polite thing to do is ask . This kind of "stealth learning" where you say things you don't believe, expecting to learn via corrections, is inconsiderate and inefficient. I know people who have lost practically all of their friends because they couldn't bring themselves to ackn…

How do you know you are wrong until someone convinces you?

Re: You don't have to engage with people on the Internet

#102

Post by csydas »

bryan_w wrote: post #54

Eh, I tried to take that view but then I started hearing those wrong pithy responses reflected back at me via my real life friends, which showed that their campaign worked. Now I don't argue to try to change the person's mind, but rather to plant the seed of critical thinking that may help an onlooker find the truth.

I absolutely understand your strategy and that there is a huge frustration to have such awful pithy ideas continue to spread.

One thing I'd like to offer though is a reminder of the quote "living well is the best revenge."

I deal with a lot of prima donna managers, technical persons, you name it, and it became a lot easier for me to just let things go when I realized the best thing I can do to counter the pithy/ridiculous notions they espouse was just to do my thing and be comfortable in what I do, say, think, and feel (regardless of the feeling).

It has an amazingly convincing effect on many without me having to write/say a single word, I am much less stressed as I don't feel a need to defend my thoughts and ideas, and I find my methods and ways far more simple and effective than those which are espoused by my colleagues. I don't insist that I'm right in every case or my strategies are right for everyone, I just focus on what is right for me. That it sends a strong message is simply a side-effect, albeit a positive one I think.

Re: You don't have to engage with people on the Internet

#103

Post by cassepipe »

quickthrower2 wrote: post #64
beebeepka wrote: post #58

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Come to bed, honey. No can do. Someone has to correct them. It's getting better as I age but there are times when the pressure has to be released

https://xkcd.com/386/

Crtl+F + "xkcd"

I was expecting you

Re: You don't have to engage with people on the Internet

#104

Post by Eisenstein »

rightbyte wrote: post #77
dogecoinbase wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As the old joke goes, there are 10 types of people in the world, those that understand binary... and nine others.

I like that joke but I guess it only makes sense written? Or how do you say it? "Ten"? Thinking about it, "there are ten types of people" might be even funnier.

"one zero"

Re: You don't have to engage with people on the Internet

#105

Post by drstewart »

SoftTalker wrote: post #26
bluedino wrote: post #13

Reddit is great because someone can says 1 + 1 = 3, get fifty upvotes, you can point out that it's actually 2, get downvoted into oblivion, and then some other idiot will come along and say it's 4

And worth keeping in mind that every sub, every comment section, including this place, is a self-selected narrow group that is very much not representative of public opinion in general.

And this goes far beyond politics (though it's the obvious one). People say they only can use reddit to find organic recommendations, but the representation is still very narrow.

Take podcasts or books for example: if you use reddit to source recommendations, you'll get the same ones coming up over and over. Many of my favorite podcasts I've found have been stumbled across by chance and have rarely even been mentioned on reddit.

Re: You don't have to engage with people on the Internet

#106

Post by null_object »

ETH_start wrote: post #97
fullmoon wrote: post #90

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You’re also most likely doing it because you’re getting something out of it: You’re exhibiting your own knowledge, you’re looking for validation, or want to demonstrate your own superior morals. I don’t mean you in particular, but sentences with “one most likely…” are rather hard to read IMO.

[flagged]

[dead]

Re: You don't have to engage with people on the Internet

#108

Post by trompetenaccoun »

unglaublich wrote: post #76
bluedino wrote: post #13

Reddit is great because someone can says 1 + 1 = 3, get fifty upvotes, you can point out that it's actually 2, get downvoted into oblivion, and then some other idiot will come along and say it's 4

In reality, all three people think their reasoning equates to '1 + 1 = 2', and don't understand how others are so naive not to see.

In a parallel reality, four out of the three are trolls who know that it equals two, but pretend it doesn't just to trigger those who're outraged by it.

Re: You don't have to engage with people on the Internet

#109

Post by dmje »

Not expressing an opinion is the missing skill many people need to learn, particularly on social media where the medium is doing all it can to encourage people to get involved.

Being able to say “I just don’t know” or “I don’t have the necessary facts” or “this isn't my area of expertise” or, better, to simply say nothing at all is something many “influencers” would do well to learn.

Just because you have 50million followers on some platform doesn’t mean you have the expertise to talk about vaccines or whatever the hot topic of the day happens to be.

Of course saying you don’t know requires a level of humility that many people simple don’t seem to have but hey, there you go.

Re: You don't have to engage with people on the Internet

#110

Post by renewiltord »

I do it primarily because I get a kick out of it. But it's true, LLMs have obsoleted the average HN commenter. Though, to be honest, I think we could have done it much earlier.

Google => cancel products, spy, don't update OS, no human support

Facebook => spy, Cambridge Analytica, ruined Oculus,

Apple => expensive, closed ecosystem, high rake

I think it would be cool, once we have speed to LLM inference high enough, for each person to receive a "your comment was generated x times in 100 seeds by LLMs that were prompted by this headline".

This is the anti-Turing ratio: how botlike are you?

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