Do messageboards tend to dumb people down?

This is for all non-EC or peripheral-EC topics. We all know how much we love talking about 'The Man' but sometimes we have other interests.

Do messageboards tend to dumb people down?

No
12
86%
Yes
2
14%
 
Total votes: 14

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bambooneedle
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Do messageboards tend to dumb people down?

Post by bambooneedle »

Do you have an opinion about this?
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mood swung
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Post by mood swung »

I was already dumb. Maybe I'm more focused now.
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Who Shot Sam?
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Post by Who Shot Sam? »

I don't think they dumb people down, but they do tend to make people take very aggressive, absolutist stances and get involved in flame wars without the danger of physical confrontation.
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bambooneedle
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Post by bambooneedle »

Who Shot Sam? wrote:I don't think they dumb people down, but they do tend to make people take very aggressive, absolutist stances and get involved in flame wars without the danger of physical confrontation.
Well the second part would seem to contradict the position that they don't, don't you think?
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Who Shot Sam?
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Post by Who Shot Sam? »

I guess you could look at it that way. I prefer to think that they sometimes bring out people's worst impulses.
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bambooneedle
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Post by bambooneedle »

I agree with that. Still, I don't think it really answers the question because that can be done quite intelligently - that's just to do with their impulses.
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Mike Boom
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Post by Mike Boom »

No, it doesnt dumb people down, but it does take away certain non verbal communications which can distort the intended message and message boards also tend to remove all the usual social obligations such as manners, being polite and an acceptable way of treating other people with respect to peoples opinions and feelings.

In other words if some people were to behave the same way towards others in a pub as they do on a message board they would probably get the crap kicked out of them. :P
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Fishfinger king
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Post by Fishfinger king »

Cann U explane the kwestion? :? :?
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migdd
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Post by migdd »

There are occasions that this board helps me think outside the box of job/family/bills/etc.

So I voted "no".
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StrictTime
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Post by StrictTime »

I think it depends entirely on the forum, and/or the person. This forum is generally pretty intelligent, I think, despite the current thread about the biggest willy.....which is actually more intelligent than you'd find a lot of places elsewhere on the internet. At least people here can spell and punctuate correctly, usually.

But a lot of boards are places for adolescent boys with penis insecurities to gather, although they probably don't have to dumb themselves down, which is the scary part, to me.

So, for me, no. I don't dumb down for this or any other forum. I'm sure some people do, however.
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oily slick
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Post by oily slick »

How else do you explain people voting for North?
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Mr. Average
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Post by Mr. Average »

No
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ice nine
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Post by ice nine »

Stupid is as stupid does.
It is better to keep your mouth closed and let people think that you are a fool than to open it and remove all doubt
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Mr. Average
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Post by Mr. Average »

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bambooneedle
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Post by bambooneedle »

Perhaps it was naive for me to expect that much insight on the subject would ensue. There's probably a sense that it is a bit of a taboo subject to bring up. But, although there is hesitation for people to expound on their reasoning, I bet at least several people thought about it because the answer is not so clear cut. And if people do think it's taboo so that it inhibits their thinking, what good is that? Whatever viewpoints are offered or just looked at can only help one to arrive to a clearer view.

Anyway, there's a whole lot of stuff written about the subject elsewhere, for example here: http://users.rider.edu/~suler/psycyber/psycyber.html if anyone is interested. And I'm not the person who voted 'yes', incidentally (admin would probably know who, which hey, I wonder if that may have influenced the vote).

Thanks StrictTime for at least acknowledging that maybe it depends on the situation.

I find Mr. Average's signature ironic, given the definiteness of his one word response. Go on, offer some more of your thoughts on it!
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Otis Westinghouse
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Post by Otis Westinghouse »

I find his signature in need of editing.
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Mr. Average
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Post by Mr. Average »

bambooneedle wrote:

I find Mr. Average's signature ironic, given the definiteness of his one word response. Go on, offer some more of your thoughts on it!
No, not at all, unless you are a mere parrot. Bamboo, since when do you require details in support of a position? An individual can arrive at a position and hold dear an ideology with much forethought and instrospection. That doesn't mean that position has to be immediately defended.

But since you asked: if you are prone to believing everything you read on the internet, then the answer is yes. I doubt that applies to this audience. So my answer, which was situation specif I suppose, was targeted.
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Mr. Average
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Post by Mr. Average »

Otis: You find my signature line to be offensive? Inaccurate? Irrelevant? How might it become a better statement with editing? Curious comment.
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oily slick
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Post by oily slick »

Here Here!
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so lacklustre
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Post by so lacklustre »

I think Mr W refers to the spelling of the first word.
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Mr. Average
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Post by Mr. Average »

Brilliant! Never noticed. I will be editing like the wind!
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colrow26
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Post by colrow26 »

Ive actually voted yes to this poll as i think message boards in general encourage knee jerk responses and opinions.
Mind you i think the same about telephone phone ins on any subject but especially sport and in particular football. You tend to get the lowest common denominator type of football fan phoning in and giving an opinion that is worthless at best.
Having said all that i find the EC message board highly entertaining and having started adding the odd contribution Im fascinated and intrigued by all the posts. On the one hand I get all my EC news more up to date than from any record company or music paper and also get to hear what fellow EC fans are listening to, watching, reading etc, so i love it......
Sorry, what was the question again....... :)
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verbal gymnastics
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Post by verbal gymnastics »

People take on different personas on message boards. I'm not clever enough to do so so what you read here is what you get when you meet me.

One of the people on this board who regularly courts controversy is actually a cuddly fluffy bunny rabbit of a guy in person.

One of the difficulties with the typed word is that one cannot always gauge sarcasm or intonation by purely reading the written word.

I'm not sure if messageboards dumb people down but I've learnt a hell of a lot from members of this board. I don't necessarily agree with certain views but on occasion they have led me to challenge my own views about things. However at the end of the day it always transpires that I was right in the first place :lol:
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spooky girlfriend
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Post by spooky girlfriend »

verbal gymnastics wrote:However at the end of the day it always transpires that I was right in the first place :lol:
Well, never let it be said that message boards promote humility. :wink:

Since my high school reunion, someone started a message board for all the classmates of my graduation year. This board has served as a true watershed for me and has allowed me to reconnect with people I did not realize I still had anything in common with other than being from the same graduation class. Some threads have turned into confessionals of what we all thought "back then" and closure to things we never figured out all those years ago. For many dysfunctional family reasons, I have felt that it would always be impossible for me to "go home" to that area again. Reconnecting with people from that time of my life has made me realize that I will always be welcome there, and that whatever is in the past is of no importance now - if I don't want it to be.

So, not only did I not feel that messageboards dumbed people down before this, but I feel it even more strongly now. I mean, I can't imagine not having Verbal in my existence. :) His intelligence has brought so much to my life.
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Gillibeanz
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Post by Gillibeanz »

Do messageboards tend to dumb people down? I dont understand the question! :lol:
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