How Web Forums Make Neuroticism Viral

This is not true. Every single human being has multiple different sides/personas depending on the context in which they engage.

For example, many people think "Trolls" are some mythical category of assholes they will never run into in real life, but the thing is, everyone can act like a troll depending on the circumstance. This is why Twitter can't fix the spam problem. Because they think the goal is to eradicate this mythical group of people. But the reality is everyone on Twitter is in one way or another annoying to someone else, without even them realizing.

I am probably much much busier person than OP in real life, but I still have time to post on HN. I am definitely not a weirdo and neurotic who has nothing better to do. I probably spend less time posting online than the OP spend time watch TV shows.

The reason I say this is because without understanding WHO exactly "trolls" are, you will always lose. When you understand trolls are just ordinary people like yourself, only then you can find a way to deal with them.

p.s.

I have acted like a neurotic person on certain forums when I was in a desperate situation, and I am perfectly aware of that. That doesn't mean I am a weirdo who has nothing better to do. Anyone in those situations would probably behave that way too. Knowing that doesn't make it any less annoying, but my point is that I can sympathize, and I know that these people are not all weirdos.

I got the "I must shoot 10,000 free throws to be prepared" attitude about becoming a developer -- must know Linux, concurrency, all interview questions, salary negotiation, and so on. It was daunting but ultimately correct, I got the kind of job I wanted and doubt I could have done it without being neurotic about it.

Or maybe I would have been fine and I'm still being neurotic and overdoing it. This article's perspective is helpful because "Remember that all this advice is coming from neurotics" was not something I took into account.

Nicky Case: WE BECOME WHAT WE BEHOLD; a game about news cycles, vicious cycles, infinite cycles

"ᴛʜᴇ ᴍᴇᴅɪᴀ's vicious cycles. Here's the feedback loop:

  conflict → the media blows it up → even more conflict" [1] 

[1] http://blog.ncase.me/we-become-what-we-behold-a-post-mortem/

Uh.. hey...

But seriously, I think it's also simple the case that an anonymous internet forum is a great place to vent your innermost feelings.

It is about the origin pathological ideas and how the internet might make them more prevalent.

almost no one can or does live up to them. That confuses neophytes.... so don't be stymied by sage advice!

Those kinds of forums are top results because they minimize distress. Google having solid advice for every little thing would drive people neurotic.

Is this always true?

I mean, of course it's true at the extremes; if someone literally spends _all_ their waking hours posting on forums about X, they're probably not getting very much X done.

But discussion and polemic is more complementary to some occupations and disciplines than others, one must acknowledge—as this article seemingly doesn't. Publishing academics spend a lot of time on rigourous and structured rebuttals of each other's theories, a kind of highly professional and esoteric Reddit with long bibliographies. They probably partake of some informal channels to soft-trial some of their positions and hone some of the thorny bits before pushing to production, so to speak. They might spend a lot of time on that.

Attorneys learn how to write more eloquent and persuasive pleadings and briefs by way of practice. A lot of practice. Surely some of them chisel the background knowledge and social skills required to operate in their world online. If that's a serious learning tool, you're probably using it more than 15 minutes/day. You might even have a senior badge on some PHPBB legal board.

A lot of skills can be learned or improved on the Internet by reading and participating in sometimes contentious discussions about them. The strong religion in motorcycle repair and boating forums isn't all puffery and neurotic wheel-spinning; a lot of the commentators are quite well-informed about the range of available componentry and DIY techniques, even if they sometimes bite each other's heads off in arguments about the One True Way to overhaul a marine toilet or which ape hangers are the best.

The hours developers spend arguing about React vs. Angular on HN aren't necessarily wasted; some of the discussions are rich, vibrant and informative, and make both the writers and the readers better developers or technical managers.

I myself learned a great deal about history and politics in high school by arguing heatedly with informed people online. If I were an aspiring politician or writer, expository writing in support of a particular ideological conviction would have legitimate value and relevance as a skill set, and this kind of exercise helps to hone it.

It takes a certain kind of personality to devote a lot of energy to online discussions. Some people don't like to think and argue about methodology or meta- issues, or otherwise engage their analytical faculties very much when socialising. They just do. Good for them. However, this is a difference of style rather than substance. Everyone has to have "continuing education" of some description to remain fluent in their field. And yes, of course there's a limit beyond which pure theory and no practice lies for simple reasons of time and economics, but it just depends.

So, I don't disagree with the fundamental premise, but as is so often the case, this article paints the online world with a broad brush.