Why we’ve been slow to offer comments

Lockstops (2019) concluded that Greens and leftists “are like a cancer.” 28-Cars-Later (2019b) suggested that mercenaries should be hired to “start popping the heads off” members of the European Union Commission.

Why the vitriol? Because these The Truth About Cars commentators disagreed with the EU government’s decision to tighten carbon emission regulations on automobiles (Posky, 2019).

Comment moderators never got around to deleting the call for violence. Busy staff might not have even noticed it. But even if they had, the larger — and harder to fix — problem is the lack of room for factually grounded and respectful dialogue. You know, the kind of give and take necessary for American democracy to survive.

For example, a lonely commentator suggested that climate change regulations had validity — even if they “may be too little too late” (bd2, 2019). This person was dismissed by johnnyz (2019) as a Kool Aid drinker. “The whole concept of AGW is a farce,” he insisted. “What’s next? Reparations for poor countries that have been harmed by global warming?” To which 28-Cars-Later (2019a) trolled in: “I vote nukes for poor cultures harmed by global warming.”

Social media spurs ‘outrage-ification’ culture

This comment thread is an example of how social media can result in what Tristan Harris calls “human downgrading” (Johnson, 2019). Instead of cultivating healthy dialogue, comment threads can all too often heighten polarization and radicalization. This can result in an “outrage-ification” culture where people constantly feel threatened and trolled.

Part of the problem is that comment sections are very different from the newspaper op-ed page, where letter writers can’t hide behind anonymity. It’s also easier to slip something past the moderators when you can post 24/7. The violence-colored comments by 28-Cars-Later were posted just after midnight Saturday morning.

Also see ‘The Truth About Cars falsely stokes fears of private car ban’

However, even if all comments were approved by a moderator prior to posting, another problem would still linger. The more people who join a comment thread, the less opportunity there is for each individual to participate in a meaningful way. Large threads can also take a massive amount of time to track even if one is just a reader.

Let’s be honest: The comment threads on the larger automotive websites and Facebook pages tend to have a fairly low signal-to-noise ratio. Their main justification is that they increase page clicks. It’s all about ad revenue.

Harris suggests that the kind of spaces where people can be open-minded and civil are most likely to occur in groups under 20 that are facilitated. He pointed to a Reddit project called “Change My View”:

“For example, ‘I think climate change isn’t real because of X, Y, and Z. Please, change my mind.’ That’s an invitation that says, ‘Let’s have a dialogue about that.’ They successfully created this whole community where people gained, they’re called delta points. The more you changed people’s minds, the more points you get. It creates this community of trust and thoughtfulness, and rewarding expertise as opposed to rewarding outrage and winning based on who’s better at punning or shaming the other side.” (Johnson, 2019)

This isn’t exactly what Indie Auto would like to do but is in the general ballpark. How can we cultivate a dialogue with the civility and richness of a particularly satisfying college seminar?

In the past Indie Auto didn’t allow comments so the focus could be on developing original content. Now you can comment on almost all postings. However, first-time comments are moderated (go here for details). Perhaps this system will evolve if Indie Auto develops a larger readership.

Your thoughts are always invited on how we can cultivate a healthier and more robust dialogue.

Share your reactions to this post with a comment below or a note to the editor.

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RE:SOURCES

• bd2; 2019. Commentator in “EU Emission Fines Could Spell Trouble for Automakers in 2021, Especially VW and FCA.” The Truth About Cars. Posted 8:28 p.m., June 28, accessed June 29.
• johnnyz; 2019. Commentator in “EU Emission Fines Could Spell Trouble for Automakers in 2021, Especially VW and FCA.” The Truth About Cars. Posted 11:49 p.m., June 28, accessed June 29.
• Johnson, Eric; 2019. “Tristan Harris says tech is ‘downgrading’ humanity — but we can fix it.” Vox. Posted May 6; accessed June 29.
• Lockstops; 2019. Commentator in “EU Emission Fines Could Spell Trouble for Automakers in 2021, Especially VW and FCA.” The Truth About Cars. Posted 3:53 a.m., June 29, accessed June 29.
• Posky, Matt; 2019. “EU Emission Fines Could Spell Trouble for Automakers in 2021, Especially VW and FCA.” The Truth About Cars. Posted June 28, accessed June 29.
• 28-Cars-Later; 2019a. Commentator in “EU Emission Fines Could Spell Trouble for Automakers in 2021, Especially VW and FCA.” The Truth About Cars. Posted 12:18 a.m., June 29, accessed June 29.
• ——; 2019b. Commentator in “EU Emission Fines Could Spell Trouble for Automakers in 2021, Especially VW and FCA.” The Truth About Cars. Posted 12:25 a.m., June 29, accessed June 29.