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Never before has humanity had such a means for multiple minds to come together and share ideas, than before discussion forums. Citi-Data is about the best I've seen...but even it contains far more poorly thought-out venting than I'd like.
What humanity desperately needs is a metaphorical brain. Cells, including brain cells, were individual organisms that bonded together into a colony called multicellular life. Our brain cells function as an organizational system for that colony. Brain cells take in information from our eyes and sensory neurons, process it, and use that information to alter the behavior of the colony so as to improve the existence of that colony.
For most of human history, society has had "brains" that consist of governments, or hierarchies, or local community dialogue. These forms of "brains" have limited value though. They've not involved the focus on intellectual discussion that discussion forums can provide. They don't necessarily involve discussions of ethics and philosophy, and they often involve little to no input from regular citizens.
If we want to change culture, rather than just laws, in a well-thought out way, we need discussion forums to become places of intelligent, serious discourse, or at least serious discourse. I'm not sure the intelligence is necessary...because I think, through discourse, people will inevitably get better at it, if they want to, anyway.
I don't know how best to accomplish that...but I think very little is of greater importance regarding what is most beneficial to our species over the long term. Nowhere else do people have platforms on which they can so freely and easily state their ideas, and discuss these ideas.
I think it's already starting to happen. I remember one thread I posted on this very forum which I believe was lifted by a journalist and turned into a column. Maybe it was just coincidence, but the column was very similar to my thread and appeared within a few weeks.
Twitter can influence the world even more directly. C-D is somewhat obscure but has a depth that Twitter lacks.
I think Matthew Rognlie's critique of the Saez-Piketty theory of income inequality was originally posted online, maybe it was in Marginal Revolution?
As internet-native people age and occupy institutional roles, the stigma against internet dialogue will fade. Internet culture has already taken over popular culture. It's only a matter of time before it takes over institutional culture.
I think it's already starting to happen. I remember one thread I posted on this very forum which I believe was lifted by a journalist and turned into a column. Maybe it was just coincidence, but the column was very similar to my thread and appeared within a few weeks.
Twitter can influence the world even more directly. C-D is somewhat obscure but has a depth that Twitter lacks.
I think Matthew Rognlie's critique of the Saez-Piketty theory of income inequality was originally posted online, maybe it was in Marginal Revolution?
As internet-native people age and occupy institutional roles, the stigma against internet dialogue will fade. Internet culture has already taken over popular culture. It's only a matter of time before it takes over institutional culture.
I'm fearful of twitter, and much more comfortable with Citi-Data. On Citi-data, people have the option of making arguments. That's hard to do on Twitter because of the word-count limit.
But, maybe I'm being pessimistic. Maybe people pay more attention to Twitter because it takes less time, and maybe that'll push people to make better arguments more efficiently...because time is something everyone needs more of.
An internet forum can bring lots of different ideas and viewpoints, but how would it run a government? A local town hall brings people together to discuss local issues. Like discussing a new bridge proposal. Do we want local people to debate and vote on it? Or AI derived from an internet forum?
A city counsel debates an issue, then votes on it. Replace them with an internet forum? Then have a poll to vote on issues?
I will say this. Things city counsels vote on and spend tax payer money on, are often things the tax payers don't want.
Anonymous bulletin boards will always be unaccountable forums for garbage in/garbage out.
Good luck with your quest for changing that.
Exactly. No one is held accountable or identified. The brains lost control of the internet decades ago. I recall when the internet was all text based and used largely by professionals and academics. I was a researcher at the time and there was a lot of useful global networking going on. It still happens on certain networks where people are known and they are not showing photos of what the ate for lunch. Most of the internet is used as a toy or too often a vehicle for spreading false information (some C-D fora).
Discussion forums are a collective thinktank if you can sift through the garbage. Could government be someday run by a collective of citizens all solving problems through social media? Likely not as present government has alot to do with power/connections/party loyalties/etc. The collective media platform would have to circumnavigate this.
Maybe it will become "self aware" like Skynet in the "Terminator" movie one day...
I can tell you that media platforms like Youtube, etc. have amateurs and semi professionals (monetized channels) producing better learning/instructional videos, news coverage and reporting, travel videos, etc... etc... than professional and network formats produce. The community is very interactive with comment communication with the person running the channel, other commenters, etc.
So a "holistic" approach incorporating discussion platforms, video and other visual media platforms, vlogs, blogs, etc. would be a good way to go for the OP's concept.
Exactly. No one is held accountable or identified. The brains lost control of the internet decades ago. I recall when the internet was all text based and used largely by professionals and academics. I was a researcher at the time and there was a lot of useful global networking going on. It still happens on certain networks where people are known and they are not showing photos of what the ate for lunch. Most of the internet is used as a toy or too often a vehicle for spreading false information (some C-D fora).
As for anonymity, the Federalist Papers were anonymous.
If you think brains should be the ticket of admission to civic dialogue, do you have a problem with democracy itself? Because one person-one vote tends to allow a lot of less informed people to vote. The purpose isn't to ensure enlightened policies; the purpose is to ensure inclusive and popular policies.
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