No Good Argument

 

  




Online arguments, especially on social media have become one of the worst parts of our virtual world. As politics have become more and more volatile, misinformation has grown, and fake news and culture wars have overtaken social media these arguments are everywhere.  For many, it has prompted less engagement on social media, but for some, the fights are a source of entertainment. Most savvy users can spot a troll, but unfortunately, others engage resulting in mind-numbing arguments full of hatred, bigotry, and bitter attitudes. 

The argument I chose above is one of those such arguments. Some issues with this argument include:
  1. The participants are not actually engaging in any real conversation, they are just insulting each other
  2. The individuals are not asking questions, or meaningfully engaging with the others
  3. The users are ganging up on one participant but again just insulting them rather than engaging
Really, this is a pretty typical argument, it is not overly awful, it is just pointless and benefits no one. Social media really gets going when the topics touch on race, gender, or so-called "woke" topics (if I never hear the word woke again it will be too soon). With the troll business, keyboard warrior attitudes, and the current state of politics it is unlikely that we will see a huge change in this anytime soon. However, we can individually make efforts to avoid these negative and unnecessary arguments.

  1. Don't argue just to argue, if you don't have a vested interest or some knowledge on the topic don't engage.
  2. Don't engage with trolls, they have no positive purpose and only add to the chaos.
  3. Don't take the bait, especially on hot-button topics, there is no winning in these situations
  4. Don't stoop to the negative lows so often seen on social media
  5. If you must comment on something, be concise, respectful, and truthful



My hope is that the tension and anger will subside and the constant arguments on social media will subside but until then it is up to each of use to fight the good fight, by not fighting. :)


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