Discussions on the internet are failing more and more and we should work on fixing that

[Hirnstoff]

Hey,
discussions on the internet have always been a mess. Lots of people shouting and insulting each other. Most people seem to be completely immune to criticism or are simply unable to exchange arguments in a civil manner. Others have given up already and no longer write comments or join discussions. The internet is such a beautiful opportunity to work on our collaborative description of reality and instead we are failing more and more to understand each other. We need to work on improving that or else the internet will lead to violence and ultimately self-destructing societies.

In my opinion one of the root causes of this is that we have a natural tendency to identify with the ideas that we store in our brains. We love ideology and we defend our informational catalogue with everything we got, because acknowledging a good argument means that we were wrong and that we need to let go of an idea, a part of our personality.

A much better way would be to identify with our way of thinking instead of our knowledge. Critical thinking skills are becoming more and more crucial in this age of informational floods. And these "tools" with which we can analyse the value of new information should be the centerpiece of our identity.

These thoughts have lead me to create my first YouTube video in the hopes of at least playing a small part to solve these issues and to create a healthier environment where ideas can be exchanged and we can all learn from each other. Feedback is more than welcome.

 

[mirrorlessNY(youtuber)]

Welcome to the forum, congrats on 1st post & on 1st video by the way you can make it easier for everyone to access your channel by inserting channel link under name(age) as seen under mine to the LEFT of this msg - read my signature on HOW TO below this msg

 

[Hopeless Insomniac]

I think you bring up some really valid and important points here. The internet can be the best and worst place to exist as creators, and in a broader sense as people. I personally believe in balance in all things and I think most commentary has lost sight of that. Criticism and opinions absolutely have a place and you can't shy away from that or you stand in the way of your own growth as an individual. However, there is healthy constructive criticism with the intention of bringing someone up to be better and a much more toxic form with the intention of tearing someone down.
It is absolutely a very human thing to get sort of stuck in our worldview especially with either dramatically younger people who haven't yet had those experiences to open their mind as well as dramatically older people who may have held on to their own beliefs without change so long its become cemented as a sort of undeniable truth that becomes ingrained in their sense of self. Unfortunately, most comments I see that one might consider to be "starting a debate" (for lack of a better word) appear to be posted without the goal of having a conversation. I also believe the anonymity the internet provides gives so many people a sort of scape coat to be cruel in ways no one would be able to if they were required to say these things in person.
I think your channel is a great idea and people need to be opening this conversation. Especially with how much tension there seems to be between people right now.