Can You Watch This Without Getting Angry?

Great TED talk on the original twitter kerfuffle referenced in the article: link CGP Grey's take on how outrage is used to exploit us through social media: (Yes, I link this often, because the message is valuable.) ▶ this video

I don't like the turn this thread took, but weighing in here narrowly with something hopefully interesting... The memes themselves needn't be "adversaries" for it to be to the benefit of one of them to inspire rage against the other. "X makes people angry at people holding Y" can help X spread because people like talking about things they're mad about, and the presence of Y actually makes that more effective; the memes themselves are, to a degree, symbiotic within the broader society even as they maybe do bad things to the people in that society. For one particular perspective on this, I enjoyed ▶ this video - relevant stuff starts around 3 minutes in.

Oh I think it’s more about what’s being said than who is listening to who. For better or worse, human discourse is optimized for face to face interaction. It seems that widespread, anonymous speech turns even the most mild mannered individual into a raging maniac. On a similar note I recently watched this video: ▶ this video and completely agree with its premise.

CGPGrey has a great description of this problem with his video "This video will make you angry": ▶ this video The gist is that pithy, low-effort strawmans of an opposing tribe are highly attractive and contagious memes. I don't think it has anything specific to do with Twitter. You see similar issues everywhere: Facebook, Reddit, and of course meatspace. It's a human problem. Twitter and the short character-limit may magnify it a bit, I'll admit that. But the actual problem can't be solved on Twitter or Mastodon. Each individual needs to be aware of this human problem and to constantly make an effort to notice and counteract it in their own brain (which is very difficult and error prone). Perhaps if enough people start doing that more, then cultural change will take place. I don't know.

I looked back at your story a couple of times but couldn't figure out how the outraged attacks are being rewarded. I do feel like you might be on to something in how critical comments are often the most discussed. Think about how the single like "thank you" or "thanks for that" comments are hidden as being empty of thought. I don't have any solutions but have you seen this CGP Grey video called "This video will make you angry" ▶ this video which says that outraged ideas are the quickest to spread.

Related, though less about brands, I really liked "This Video Will Make You Angry" by CGP Grey. ▶ this video - Thoughts/memes as germs trying to reproduce and spread, battling for attention and thriving when people endlessly argue as part of an us/them dynamic.

> the divide has originated from taking unlikeable behaviour and labeling that as ‘woke’ (in bad faith of course) and some people have just bonded to that definition so much that they see it as that CPG Grey’s co-dependent memes video comes to mind [1]. Each group defines wokeness (and defines how other groups define it) to maximise outrage. To the extent there is a mind virus it’s in using the term at all. (Which is where I appreciate Graham bringing the term prig into the discussion.) [1] ▶ this video

You're correct. But I would argue there are more areas of agreement than you might think. Areas of disagreement are more emotionally salient, and tend to receive more attention. See this essay link or this video ▶ this video The world could use a few less people quarreling about their conflicting ideas, and a few more people seeking the intersection of what everyone thinks is good, and working in it.

> presumably the people who post on twitter enjoy it I do not share this presumption. ▶ this video Disagreement (like mine with you :P) also drives engagement, and quite possibly more than positive vibes do.

I'm sure you're very smart and realize how stupid the meme is, but for every one person who is as smart as you, there are ten people who aren't, and who see the meme, and decide that, y'know what, things are fucked, and it just deepens their cynicism and hatred of the world. This Video Will Make You Angry - ▶ this video

It's not just that there's no incentive for that, but there's a very strong incentive to do the exact opposite: ▶ this video

Social media algorithms might not be the only thing keeping people within a bubble. For example, Fediverse instances or Reddit communities (infamously known for the “hivemind”). People might simply be tribal in nature, however this doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t improve. Related: ▶ this video