Social media — perhaps more aptly named “anti-social media” given the way it is often used — is a poor stage for political discussion for three reasons:
Public Stage
When you make a statement on social media, you are on stage for the world to see. Or at least your closest friends and associates, which can actually bring more pressure. This is your tribe. Your peeps. The ones who will not hesitate to call you out if they feel you are betraying The Tribe.
Changing your opinion in such a public forum can feel tantamount to being wrong. Or worse, you can expect to be vilified, even shamed, by those who are supposed to be your friends and supporters. There is significant social pressure, even if it is unconsciously, to hold firm to anything posted on social media and not change your position.
Peanut Gallery
Another challenge to substantive political discussions on social media is the peanut gallery. You’ve probably experienced it. You think you’re making progress with someone, seeking to understand and to be understood. The some yahoo with an opinion airdrops into the conversation, convinced that their insights will save the world, and they completely derails the direction you were headed.
They may be well-meaning (typically). They may even have a good point (atypically). But they totally interrupted the flow, and an already complex discussion just got even more challenging.
Lack of Clarity
Online conversations rarely happen in real-time. You post a message and the other person sees it and responds some time later in the future. This asynchronous communication can be great for taking time to research points, but it discourages quick clarifying questions like, “What do you mean by…?” and “Let’s make sure we’re using the same definitions.”
As a result, people can easily end up talking around each other, each misunderstanding the other person’s underlying assumptions that drive their position. Of course, even in face-to-face conversations we often miss the opportunity to make sure we’re really talking about the same thing, but written communications make it even more challenging.
What Can We Do?
Those three challenges make it nigh impossible to have a productive political conversation through social media. So, what are we to do? One option is the Centrist Revolution Forums. The forum still uses asynchronous communication, but it has a few benefits, too:
Semi-Private Stage
While the forums are visible to the world, only people who have agreed to the Centrist Revolution Pledge will be able to comment and discuss topics with you. Because you are among like-minded idea explorers, it’s okay to test new ideas, and even change your mind.
Focused Conversations
Every forum topic has a clear focus and objective. This helps to direct conversations towards productive ends.
Get Clarification
The nature and tone of forum conversations lend themselves to questions and clarification. Forum moderators are encouraged to update the top post in the thread with a summary of the main discussion points, including definitions and clarifications, so new people to the conversation can get up to speed quickly.
