Comments on: Dissent: The Perilous Price of Progress http://dissense.com/2010/03/dissent-the-perilous-price-of-progress/ Only the most inreasonable ideas... Tue, 06 Jul 2010 18:52:16 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1 By: Felix York http://dissense.com/2010/03/dissent-the-perilous-price-of-progress/comment-page-1/#comment-38 Felix York Sun, 04 Apr 2010 18:13:57 +0000 http://dissense.com/?p=377#comment-38 I do think the Internet has increased political extremism. I don't think that fact is purely derivative of other aspects of our culture. It's not just about accountability (though that plays a role as well), but also the fact that the Internet--by connecting people of similar views--allows individuals to congregate whose views would otherwise be moderated by general society. Could one conceivably invent another medium that would achieve the same ill? Presumably. But that doesn't mean that the Internet has unique caused it here. I do think the Internet has increased political extremism. I don’t think that fact is purely derivative of other aspects of our culture. It’s not just about accountability (though that plays a role as well), but also the fact that the Internet–by connecting people of similar views–allows individuals to congregate whose views would otherwise be moderated by general society. Could one conceivably invent another medium that would achieve the same ill? Presumably. But that doesn’t mean that the Internet has unique caused it here.

]]> By: Bill Goodwin http://dissense.com/2010/03/dissent-the-perilous-price-of-progress/comment-page-1/#comment-37 Bill Goodwin Sat, 27 Mar 2010 00:19:00 +0000 http://dissense.com/?p=377#comment-37 Blame not the internet! That's the centerpiece of my claim. Do we face a problem with political extremism? Certainly! Is it the internet's fault. No. I fault myself for not making this clearer. My claim is much more narrow than it has been interpreted thus far, and you, York, make points that complement, rather than contradict my thesis. Consider your anonymity point: it's true that it permits people to say things they otherwise wouldn't. But that's a problem with accountability, not information consumption. I think Cass Sunstein has made some excellent empirical points about how views become more extreme, but not <i>why</i> they do. It is less because of the information people consume than the conversations they have. Reading and dialogue are fundamentally distinct. Blame not the internet! That’s the centerpiece of my claim. Do we face a problem with political extremism? Certainly! Is it the internet’s fault. No.

I fault myself for not making this clearer. My claim is much more narrow than it has been interpreted thus far, and you, York, make points that complement, rather than contradict my thesis.

Consider your anonymity point: it’s true that it permits people to say things they otherwise wouldn’t. But that’s a problem with accountability, not information consumption.

I think Cass Sunstein has made some excellent empirical points about how views become more extreme, but not why they do. It is less because of the information people consume than the conversations they have. Reading and dialogue are fundamentally distinct.

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