Poll: Is arguing online worth it?

[Gsmoove]

Sometimes I don't understand why I click on certain forum topics, articles/blogs, comments ect. as usually I find an opinion that I disagree with and get angry. Usually I abstain from commenting because I don't think I will convert the opposing opinion, and the inevitable flame war never accomplishes anything.

Personally I think people are divergent by nature. For example if a bunch of people really loved a movie, there will be one person that will be primed to hate it and will defend their position bitterly. A lot of people talk about understanding, but they don't try to see other viewpoints without prejudice.

Every other day there is some dispute, and I just wish people would take a couple minutes to try and consider that things are more complex than they appear.

There's the video I want to share with the community that made me think about my conduct on the internet, if you do have time to watch it. What do you think?

watch?v=rE3j_RHkqJc

 

[Sniper Team 4]

I've never straight up argued with anyone on the internet. Never flooded comments with constant messages saying, "Yeah, well, BLAH!" The closest I've ever come would be a debate I had with a reviewer on Amazon. He was clearly trolling the manga, and I had read both of his reviews. On the second one I asked him why he didn't read something else, and listed as many different types of manga I could think of. I was trying to be nice, despite the fact that his only reviews were the two of a series he clearly loathed. His response was to threaten to report me to Amazon, mock me about how he never said he didn't like the series, and basically be a complete jerk. He told me to leave him alone, so I did.

I used to read forums and get upset, either at the O.P. or at a comment. I would type out my thoughts and get ready to post, but as I've gotten older, I've realized that it's rarely worth it. I'm not going to change this person's mind, nor will I ever speak to them again. I can't sit down and talk with them, and odds are they are either going to misunderstand me and my tone, or I'm going to misunderstand theirs. And it's just going to make me angry and think that the other person is a raging idiot, despite knowing nothing about them.
What's worse is that I would dwell on it when I was younger. I would sit there at night, recalling something someone had posted, and I would think up ways to destroy them with a response. It would consume me sometimes, while other times I would begin dreading logging on to a site the next day because I worried that my inbox would be filled with people yelling back at me.
And so I realized that none of that is healthy and stopped. If I don't like someone's opinion, I'll stop reading it and move on, and I rarely read the comments on anything anymore. So no, I don't think online arguing is worth it in the slightest.

 

[Queen Michael]

I watched that vid, and I have to admit that it was an embarrassingly accurate description of my online behaviour.

 

[Pirate Of PC Master race]

If you are not in argument for the sake of fun, you are going to have a bad time.

I remember my times being obsessed about certain... ideas. Totally not worth it.

 

[PsychicTaco115]

Nope

People are too entrenched in their ideas that a few posts online won't change

It's all in the mind

TL;DR

 

[The Lunatic]

It's just an amusing way to pass the time.

I'm not out to prove my intelligence, nor out to make a point.

Sometimes, I just want to fuck with people, sometimes I just want to talk, and others I'm just filling the empty space!

I don't really over think the whole ordeal. I don't really get "outraged" at things really.

 

[Kolby Jack]

I feel like I've successfully avoided the most rage inducing topics on the internet today. I've never participated in any gamergate discussion, I don't know what a SJW is (but then nobody can seem to agree on what it is either), I recognize the misogyny and bigotry visible on the internet and in our pop culture but I won't do anything about it because frankly I don't care. Does that make me part of the problem? Well, I don't care about that either. Don't like it? Well, feel free to write a strongly worded post about it, because that's all you'll be able to do anyway.

I liked that thought germ video very much; it's completely correct.

 

[Tiger King]

the thing about arguments is that at their basic, they are between 2 people, or sides, that do not agree on something.
sitting there shouting about it will not change this, because both sides have made up their minds and refuse to acknowledge the other. well, generally...

 

[Sleepy Sol]

It really depends. In most cases I see here, it doesn't really tend to do much. Lots of back-and-forthing, to the point of exhaustion. It's rare for anybody to change or examine their own viewpoint thoroughly and rethink some of their conclusions. Does happen sometimes.

Sometimes the exchanges remain friendly. Most of the time, they do not, whether it's through passive aggression or very obvious frustration/anger directed at another poster.

I'm not sure if that's really a reason to stop doing it, though. Though it's arguable how much they help, I do think internet arguments can result in some pretty positive effects and greater understanding of other viewpoints. Whether that's worth seeping through pages and pages of "no u" back and forth is up to you, I guess.

 

[Metailurus]

The internet is just a big sounding board for your ideas.

No one worthwhile's opinion's are going to be changed solely from online interaction, and if they are, they are pretty weak willed people to begin with and probably don't matter.

Arguing on the internet is all of the above, but the least likely outcome is compromise.

 

[Nazulu]

Huh. Already knew all this from experience.

It's all the above, and probably more with less healthy options.

 

[Kyrian007]

Yes, but none of the above for me. Argument is a way to better yourself, learn new viewpoints, sharpen your verbal and communicative skills, perhaps help someone else do the same. I've always said every argument makes me better, win or lose.

It's worth being said though; the more impassioned, the more heated an argument, the more you become attached to ONLY YOUR side of the argument... the less you learn.

 

[Erttheking]

Yes, but none of the above for me. Argument is a way to better yourself, learn new viewpoints, sharpen your verbal and communicative skills, perhaps help someone else do the same. I've always said every argument makes me better, win or lose.

It's worth being said though; the more impassioned, the more heated an argument, the more you become attached to ONLY YOUR side of the argument... the less you learn.

Wish most people on the internet were like that. Nowadays people seem to accept outrageous stereotypes as the truth and stick their fingers in their ears whenever someone tries to point out "You know, this group isn't entirely made up of horrible people."

 

[zelda2fanboy]

Yes, but none of the above for me. Argument is a way to better yourself, learn new viewpoints, sharpen your verbal and communicative skills, perhaps help someone else do the same. I've always said every argument makes me better, win or lose.

It's worth being said though; the more impassioned, the more heated an argument, the more you become attached to ONLY YOUR side of the argument... the less you learn.

I agree. I don't discuss topics on forums to change other people's minds, I do it to change my own. If I have a weak opinion about something, I want to see it picked apart in front of me. It can be interesting. And the better I can defend something online to strangers, the more well rounded and sturdy my viewpoint becomes. It can be nice to take ideas out of the echo chamber of my own brain and put them to some sort of test.

 

[CaptainMarvelous]

I usually argue because I have an opinion and like to see conflicting ones. I'd rather we could do it civilly but there's about a 10% chance of that happening so I just try to make sure I keep it as an argument rather than a fight (and my god, I tend to get drawn into a lot of fights, I really need to learn to ignore assholes)

 

[balladbird]

*shrug* people bond together most effectively when they're united in reviling a 3rd party, and there are few natural highs the human brain provides that are nearly as intense and enjoyable as the rush of righteous (ymmv) indignation.

I imagine online arguments are mostly born from a combination of those two things. People argue, pretend to listen to each other while repeating the same talking points until they get bored, then return to their respective echo chambers, claim they won the argument, and get patted on the back.

repeat...and repeat....and repeat.

Every level of argument I've ever personally followed, from shipping to politics, boils down to basically that.

 

[Denamic]

If nothing else, it's mental exercise. Even if neither you or your opponent have a change of heart, it forces you to think about your beliefs, which is always a good thing.