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Learning happens in environments optimized for understanding, not winning
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
But two decades later, we scroll through our choice of social poison, watching people with PhDs argue like kindergarteners with a rogues gallery of anime avatars about whether water is wet / turning frogs gay. But watching the daily devolution of online debates tells me a darker truth: the very act of arguing on the Internet is making us collectively dumber. Character limits force complex ideas into oversimplified snippets Threading mechanisms make it easy to miss context and talk past each other Like/retweet mechanics reward zingers over nuance Notification systems interrupt deep thought with constant micro-distractions Algorithmic amplification ensures the most inflammatory takes rise to the top
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