People just need to be able to speak freely. Likes and dislikes and other scoring systems just encourage echo chambers and are almost purpose-built tools for astroturfing.
People are afraid to say their opinion because of the backlash. Not everyone has a well thought out opinion, that doesn't mean they deserve to be punished. The human experiment can only move forward with open displays of ignorance coupled with open-minded discussion and acceptance.
It's idealistic to think this could happen easily, but I see no other way for global civilisation to come to terms with our historical cultural differences.
We're either going to devolve into systems where nothing matters and everything goes, which frankly we already have with 4chan, or allow certain views to prevail over others, which literally every forum or approval-based channel has these days, or find a different way to share differences and come to terms with them, which I hope somebody invents soon.
I totally agree with the comment here. I love that you say:
> I see no other way for global civilisation to come to terms with our historical cultural differences
I agree.
But the path we are on is the opposite. 'We' (or whoever is running the show - as I don't think the state we find ourselves in is natural) is not about allowing for diversity of opinions, and building personal resilience and tolerance to diverse thinking via the application of reasoned argumentation.
No. Instead we herded into low engagement, preferably simplistic binary positions. We are even moving away from law, into a time of cancel culture driven by corporate policy. We are going into hardcore tyranny of the individual.
The reason is (imo) that it is far easier to govern when you treat people as a collective. If you have imprinted thoughts patterns into what might have been individual thinkers, and support that throughout their lives via top-up programming from the media, you can guide this communal thinking.
The answer from my perspective is for everyone to be trying achieve maximum individuality. (Everyone thinks they are individual, but they are actually expressing received opinions. I don't even say I am an exception - though I do think I am working on it.)
But who's got time for individuality?!? There are mortgages to pay, children to train into the system - er, I mean educate, work takes a lot out of you, and passive engagement with screens is so tempting.
People are afraid to say their opinion because of the backlash. Not everyone has a well thought out opinion, that doesn't mean they deserve to be punished. The human experiment can only move forward with open displays of ignorance coupled with open-minded discussion and acceptance.
It's idealistic to think this could happen easily, but I see no other way for global civilisation to come to terms with our historical cultural differences.
We're either going to devolve into systems where nothing matters and everything goes, which frankly we already have with 4chan, or allow certain views to prevail over others, which literally every forum or approval-based channel has these days, or find a different way to share differences and come to terms with them, which I hope somebody invents soon.