Have you ever started talking to someone on social media, or even in person, who proudly denies facts, throws around really ridiculous conspiracy theories, deflects literally everything you show them as “fake news”, perhaps even calls you a couple names? Feels like a waste of time, doesn’t it? Makes you wonder if arguing on social media is just childish bullshit and if you should just stop completely.
I’ve batted this back and forth for a long time now, and here are some conclusions I’ve come to as to why it’s still worth it…in moderation:
- Social media is the modern public forum: if our Forefathers were around today, you don’t think they’d be on Twitter? The pubs and clandestine rendevous of yore have evolved into Zoom meetings, Facebook groups, and comment sections (especially in the Coronavirus Era). For the average person, it’s their tiny soapbox that allows them to project a message further than any other media previously available to us. We still post flyers on town bulletin boards – they’re just digital now.
- If you have good information, you have an obligation to fight misinformation/disinformation: because if you don’t, they will. “They” could include the Fox News bubble, or the alt-right fringe, or Russian troll farms – there are a lot of informational adversaries these days, and they’ll be there whether you are or not. Not pushing back is letting them control the narrative, and that is so dangerous in many ways. Many smart people who could reach different circles of people feel like they’re above social media discourse nowadays, but really they’re just surrendering the informational war at their doorstep.
- “The Lurker Effect”: When you engage in an argument or discussion on social media, it sometimes isn’t about convincing the person you’re arguing with – it’s about convincing the lurkers; when you consider the portion of their followers, the portion of your followers, the followers of other people on the comment string, etc. who are chomping on popcorn and learning something, you can see that the reach of a single good argument can inform a whole lot of people. Spread links like Johnny Appleseed.
Just as it would have been unhealthy to sit in an 1800’s pub 6 days a week, wasted and yelling about the nature of personal Liberty, it too is unhealthy spending too much of your day screaming back at the void, and it’s easy to do.
Vary your activist activities, live a little, stay hydrated, and keep engaging.
