Why the online behavior of many people is baffling to you
- Eniokos
- Sep 12, 2024
- 2 min read
Updated: Feb 10
I discovered this while researching on the current post-truth situation where the society is more divided than ever before on what the truth of a certain fact or event is. Sometimes it is utterly incredible that someone can deny the truth so blatantly when it is apparent to millions of people around the globe.
If you wonder about the inexplicable online behavior of people, you will like this video. Check it out.
AI Generated Summary:
In this video, Derek Muller, the creator of Veritasium, discusses the phenomenon of "post-truth" – an era where facts seem less important despite unprecedented access to information (0:18). He reflects on his initial optimism about the internet's potential to create a more informed and tolerant society (0:47), citing examples like the Arab Spring and the rise of educational YouTube content (2:30).
However, Muller highlights the internet's darker side (3:57):
Formation of Echo Chambers (4:00): The internet allows like-minded individuals, including those with extreme biases, to form communities and reinforce their existing beliefs.
Evolution of Arguments (5:06): Ideas, especially ideological ones, evolve online. Arguments are tweaked to become more provocative, pushing emotional buttons, which then leads to them being shared more widely (6:13).
Algorithmic Promotion of Divisive Content (6:36): Algorithms prioritize content that generates the most engagement, whether positive or negative. This means that "fake news" and polarizing arguments are often amplified (7:11).
Confirmation Bias (8:13): Muller suggests that humans naturally seek out information that confirms their existing beliefs, making it difficult to accept challenging facts.
He concludes by posing the challenge of finding a way to overcome this division and agree on truth again, suggesting that changes to algorithms (12:42) are necessary to promote real news over fake news, much like Google's search engine combats spam (13:45). He also raises a thought-provoking question about whether arguing sometimes makes things worse by entrenching opposing beliefs (15:30).
