Online Arguments

Hi everybody!

For this week's discussion I found an online argument/debate to analyze and share here with you all.

The topic of debate I chose to use is individual versus universal healthcare. This is quite a large issue right now and I thought that it would be interesting to dive into what online users were saying. On Reddit, I found a thread titled "change my view." The original author of this post was pro universal healthcare and believes that it would be most beneficial and efficient for the majority of U.S. citizens. One of the reasons this particular argument stood out to me was the title. The author seemed to go into the debate with no meaning of listening to others or understanding new perspectives. I do not think that this is an effective way to go into a debate because when people aren't willing to listen to the opposing side, it can seem pointless and end up going nowhere. Three concerns that I had when reading through this are the use of personal attacks and insults, echo chambers and potential misinformation. When people argue online, they are able to hide behind their screens and sometimes take that as an opportunity to hurl insults at others. Users in this thread displayed this by adding name calling to their arguments which can prevent the debate from being constructive and even hurt others Throughout the argument, data and statistics are shared without credible sources. This could cause false news to spread and can confuse individuals that are trying to learn about the topic and form their own opinion. The final thing that I noticed was some participants only interacting with content and views they agreed with. Even though these some of these users were probably reading the whole thread they chose to amplify their own beliefs and neglected to think differently. Echo chambers in online debates such as this can limit the potential of the discussion to be meaningful and productive. 

Here is the link to the Reddit Thread I am referring to!

Taking into consideration the negative aspects of the argument I analyzed; I was able to come up with some general rules for debating effectively online. 

1. Fact check the information you read! Especially, with online debates, anyone can put any kind of information online, so it is important to ensure that the data you see is accurate and from a reliable source. Fact checking also comes into play when you share online. Be careful about the information and data that you share and where you acquire it.

2. Be open minded! If you are going into an online argument or debate, be willing to acknowledge and reflect on/consider others' points even if they don't align with your own. 

3. Be a respectful human! Refrain from using disrespectful or mean language when debating. Only address the argument, not the person arguing.

4. Be honest in your debate. If you make a mistake or shared false information or data, let your audience know. This will prevent the false news from being spread.

5. Be thoughtful in your responses and reading. Take the time to acknowledge the opposing views and think things through before responding or jumping to conclusions on a matter. 

I am including an interesting article I found on a study based on making online arguments productive. 

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving break! Thanks for reading!