Recently, I was chatting with my girlfriend and she said that for her, the phone is a tool that can help her relax and relieve stress. She uses it to watch interesting videos and browse interesting content. However, she gradually realized that the more she watched, the more anxious she became, especially on certain social media platforms. On the other hand, I also spend a considerable amount of time on my phone and social media platforms every day, but I rarely experience anxiety. When we compared our experiences, we discovered that my girlfriend tends to engage in arguments with others. Information overload can also cause psychological anxiety.
Weibo and Bilibili are the two apps she frequently uses to follow and learn about news. However, the content on these platforms varies greatly. Some so-called "influencers" intentionally post provocative content to gain attention and traffic. This often turns the comment section into a battlefield. Some people support the influencer, while others oppose them and their supporters. This back-and-forth creates a silent war.
Why do people engage in arguments with others?
If the other person's viewpoint is clearly factually incorrect, I believe it is reasonable to argue with them. However, if you are only arguing to make the other person agree with your viewpoint, it is inappropriate and unnecessary.
Why do we like to argue with others on platforms like Twitter, Weibo, and Bilibili? I found an explanation in the book "Cognitive Awakening" that I read this month. The book states that our brains consist of the instinctive brain, emotional brain, and rational brain. The instinctive and emotional brains develop earliest and are the most powerful, while the rational brain develops later and is relatively weaker. Therefore, when it comes to judging and dealing with certain things, the instinctive and emotional brains often overpower the rational brain. So, when we act impulsively, others may say, "Why are you being so irrational?"
When we encounter viewpoints on platforms that differ from our own values, we feel the urge to refute the other person. I believe this may be a situation where emotions or instincts overpower reason.
I found several reasons online (The Low Down) which can be summarized as follows:
- As part of personal self-defense
- To get the attention of someone
- To seek power and control over others
- To get respect from others
- Narcissistic - Always feeling and believing that they are far more superior than others and therefore considering most people less knowledgeable than they are.
Upon careful consideration, we can realize that they are the crazy ones, and the ones who walk away from arguments are the wise ones.
Walking away from arguments
We need to understand clearly that we cannot change closed-minded people.
We may have reasonable arguments, but if the other person's goal is to prove you wrong, you won't be able to convince them. Whether it's in the comment section of your own content or someone else's, they are not looking for productive discussions, but rather arguments, just to win.
In my opinion, the comment section is just a tool to help me understand different viewpoints. People with different values express different opinions, which happen to showcase different perspectives of understanding the world. Therefore, I don't participate in their arguments. I simply express my own views, which I rarely do.
At the same time, we should also realize that when we impulsively engage in arguments and emotionally try to persuade others, it is often the platform or the person who initiated the argument that wins. After taking over Twitter, Musk recently started sharing ad revenue with creators. The higher your views, the higher your income. So, you will find that controversial content on Twitter is increasing, even deliberately and obviously. "Insult me, the more people insult me, the more money I make."
The advice I gave to my girlfriend is to casually browse information and watch videos. Even if you want to think, focus on yourself and don't waste time arguing with others.
If you have your own thoughts, the best approach is to think more and find more relevant content. Express your viewpoint in a long article, but you don't have to publish it on a public platform. Keep it on your phone. At this point, the purpose of expressing your viewpoint is not to argue with others or persuade them, but to encourage independent thinking, solidify your ideas, and benefit yourself.
Lastly, I would like to end this article with a quote I came across yesterday:
"One should still have a concrete life.
Go out, go downstairs, go to the streets, go into nature, feel the wind in the wilderness, see crowds, see animals, touch flowers and trees.
Don't shut yourself in the internet war.
People will deteriorate."