Quote:
Originally Posted by Alex Stroup
As for larger social impacts, I think eventually it could have one harmful effect. Intellecual cocooning. The vast majority of people don't like to be confronted and forced to think about their beliefs and ideas. Their intellectual framework is preferably a passive thing. This is not new and has always been true. But in the past it was difficult to avoid exposure to ideas you didn't like.
Now, you can immerse yourself in a community where everybody thinks exactly as you do. You don't ever have to here a discouraging word or think about the underpinnings of what you think.
Left or right, square or kinky, less filling or tastes great, you can live a life that deludes you into thinking that everyone is just like you. And that is a harmful delusion because everybody reacts poorly when something tries to puncture strongly held delusions.
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I think we have been seeing the results of this in the political division we have seen over the past few years. It is now possible to listen to radio shows where everyone agrees or go to message boards where everyone agrees. Personally, I find these kinds of places to be boring to the extreme (even when I happen to agree with them), but too many people would prefer to only hear from those who are like-minded.
Technology has definitely made it easier to avoid being challenged in our beliefs. I think we all suffer a bit from that.