Ask HN: Why do people write comments? | Hacker News Reader

Ask HN: Why do people write comments?

38 pointsbehnamoh79 comments

I'm genuinely curious as to why people leave comments on forums, reddit, HN, social media (YouTube, Instagram, etc.).

The problem is: Most comments will not be read by anyone (or read by only a few), so what's the point of expressing your thoughts and opinions through comments?

For example on HN, sometimes there are hundreds of comments on a post. HN doesn't notify you of replies to your comments. And yet, people write comments, maybe hoping that someone will reply to them. I just don't know what the "utility" is in these situations.

Is it just to get it out of your system? To document your own thoughts for your future reference? And how does that work? I believe if people want their comments to be seen, they may put them at the top, possibly in response to other comments (and sometimes it can be annoying when a reply has nothing to do with the parent).

And btw, what makes this even more surprising is that most social media, forums, HN posts, etc. have a short life time. What is the benefit of the comment you put on an Instagram post—that gets forgotten in a manner of seconds? Worse yet, IG doesn't even keep all your comments on your profile, so it's like writing on the walls of a city you're never going to visit again.

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I love reading comments. You never know when someone will enlighten you with a different perspective on something you've thought you understood well forever. As well as the joy of having people who understand things that I do not, explain them to me in a casual way. The chance of having someone share their joy is much higher than in more formal writing contexts.

I write comments not for the ages, or for the engagement, I want to share my perspective in the hopes that it will give others the same joy I've received from their comments.

How many published books actually get widely read? I mean, if you're uncomfortable throwing your words out on the net, then what forum is worthy of your work? Why publish anything if it won't be forced into the minds of every schoolchild by government backed indoctrination systems?

If you think of yourself as a writer, if you think written communication is important, even; what better opportunity to practice the craft? Would you respect a musician who never took up their instrument unless there was a large attentive audience? Or is it still worthy to play the trombone out on the back lot for no one but yourself and the cows?

this as well as indexing by search engines, i found some wonderful perspectives about rails for example from hn comments, things which were much better than any seo optimized content that you find now.

I mean, what's the utility of anything, really? An entire human life is a fart in the wind, not even the tiniest blip on a cosmic scale.

I comment here because I think I have a different perspective on a thing, and I want to either convince people that my perspective is better or for someone to come along and provide information I hadn't considered so I can be enlightened. Some places I comment to make people laugh, or to get that warm feeling that comes from knowing that you said a thing and other people liked it, because my monkey brain is wired to give me that feeling when I socialize successfully.

You've got hundreds or maybe thousands of comments here yourself, so I assume this is more "I am genuinely interested in hearing people's reasons for commenting" than a rhetorical "Why do you idiots persist in wasting your time doing this stupid pointless thing", so maybe you can return the favor: Why do you comment?

>For example on HN, sometimes there are hundreds of comments on a post. HN doesn't notify you of replies to your comments. And yet, people write comments, maybe hoping that someone will reply to them. I just don't know what the "utility" is in these situations.

Huh? Weird take, I actually come to HN for the comments. I think those are, by far, the most valuable thing on this site.

They are also the only thing on the site. HN is nothing more than comments under a link, sorted by votes.

And that's just how we like it.

I have found gem in HN comments too! But nowadays the website is much larger than before and I can’t keep up with the comments of one post, let alone all of them everyday.

> Most comments will not be read by anyone (or read by only a few)

That is a non-trivial distinction. It's the difference between talking to one person (or a few people) and talking to yourself.

> HN doesn't notify you of replies to your comments

No, but hn-replies does (http://hnreplies.com/)

> most social media, forums, HN posts, etc. have a short life time

So does the information exchanged in a face-to-face conversation. But face-to-face conversations have value. Comment exchanges are the 21st-century version of a casual conversation.

I actually prefer that HN doesn't notify on replies. It takes some time getting used to it, but it dampens reflexive replies, and that's an advantage I can appreciate better after a while.

I get a warm feeling when the number beside my comment goes up.

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Because I feel like I have something to add to the conversation. A data point, a related story, a rebuttal, a joke (on reddit), etc. I often find comments to be as good or better than the content they are about (If and only if it's a well moderated subreddit or HN) so when I can contribute I like to do so. Seeing people's different takes forces me to think more about an article/blog post than I otherwise would and sometimes challenges my own "beliefs"/thoughts which I think is a good thing.

As for HN replies I think a lot of people use a service like this: https://www.hnreplies.com/ to get notified, it's what I use.

Sometimes it does feel like screaming (or whispering) into the void if it's a post with a ton of comments on it already, though often if there are that many comments then my viewpoint is already represented so I just upvote that instead or expand on it if I have something to add. Rarely will I post a top-level comment if the thread (on HN or Reddit) is already large since I know it will get lost in the shuffle.

You say posts have a short life and that's kind of true but not always. It's less the case with Hacker News (though I do enjoy perusing the "previous discussions" of a link that's reposted years later) but Reddit (rightfully) comes in most search search results for things I'm looking for. The top example being video games for me. I can't tell you how many 7-10+ year old threads I've read to find answers to the questions I have. I've even commented on some of those "ancient" threads to give an update or "how it works today" for the next person that finds that post via search/google. Not all content is evergreen but a lot of it is. Home improvement, cooking, and city-specific questions are some more examples of things I've found years after the fact on Reddit that were exactly what I was looking for.

Why did you post this question? It will certainly have a short lifetime.

If a person knew their comment would definitely never be seen, it's probable most people wouldn't write them. But on most sites, people are notified about new comments, and even here, it's possible to look at your own comment history and see replies long after the fact.

People post comments because they have questions and hope for answers--as you did with this post--or because they have comments and hope someone reads them and finds value in them. Same as any other form of communication.

I like hearing different takes on a subject. People here come from all walks of life and are not all stereotypical basement dweller hackers. You claim that comments don't get that much attention, but they do. Some comments could even be likened to a blogpost, the only difference being you didn't setup a site, and people go here instead to read various takes on a matter. Also you mentioned that HN might go away some day, but I imagine it would be archived and go into read-only mode in that case.

> Also you mentioned that HN might go away some day, but I imagine it would be archived and go into read-only mode in that case.

Maybe I wasn't clear enough! I meant HN posts are temporary; they get out of the spotlight in a manner of hours (or a couple days). Plus, HN doesn't allow replying on comments of older posts.

Ah gotcha. Well sometimes posts re-surface after many years as HN allows for that. I've often posted something that was on HN ten years ago, and have a whole new discussion, even if the URL hasn't changed! Some posts are given a second chance and are not deemed a 'dupe'.

Why do people yell at their TVs?

Writing comments ventilates your internal monologue.

Sometimes it is more important to have said something than to be heard by others.

One of the techniques of Gestalt Therapy is the Empty Chair:

> This is a role-playing exercise that allows a client to imagine and participate in a conversation with another person or another part of themselves. Sitting across from the empty chair, the client enters into a dialogue as if they were speaking with that other person or that other part of themselves. The empty chair exercise can be very helpful in drawing out important perceptions, meanings, and other information that can help clients become more aware of their emotional experience and how to start healing.

https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-gestalt-therapy-4584583

It is nice to know that you can get some relief from not having said what you wanted to say to someone who has since passed away, by speaking to an empty chair.

And it is nice to know that if you struggle with someone actively crossing your boundaries, it makes a difference that you object vocally to it, regardless of how they react. Seeing yourself say something that is not received has a different mental impact than seeing yourself say nothing.

If all else fails, pick a fight with the void.

I definitely agree that this is in fact the motivation for a lot of people, but I don't think that should be encouraged. In the Empty Chair exercise, there isn't another human on the other end. When you're posting on the internet, there is. The rant into the void affects no one but yourself. The rant on the message board is indistinguishable from a sincere attempt at communication (cf. Poe's Law), and triggers who-knows-what reaction. (Exhibit A: Twitter.)

I'm also reminded of the half-serious proposition that "90% of what you see on the internet is written by insane people" -- wouldn't it be better if less of what you read was people hashing out their internal emotional state in public?

Why do people speak to each other at dinner? Not a rhetorical question...

I like to read comments just to see another perspective. I write comments to give my thoughts. Sometimes writing them down makes you recheck your own opinions and you think more about a topic.

Of course sometimes I also write comments because I am angry at the internet and the internet has to know.

Sometimes I write comments just to "get it out of my system". If the topic is something I wanted to work out in my mind anyway, it's a low-effort way to do that.

Sometimes I comment because happen to know a lot about the topic or can add something useful or insightful that isn't common knowledge, but that is not that often.

Some people are chasing "internet points." I see the allure and understand why it works.

Over the years, I've gotten more selective about commenting. I've mostly grown out of commenting just because "someone is wrong on the internet" and I will usually skip commenting if the thread is old and no one will see my comment anyway.

I'll never comment on popular FB/Instagram/etc posts where the comments are read-only trash and there's no chance of being heard.

I read comments to perfect my own reasoning, thinking, and understanding of the world and others. Likewise, I write comments to sharpen my own thinking and have it tested by others. In addition, I contribute facts and observations that hopefully will lead to opportunities for others to contribute their own thinking and the loop can continue endlessly.

Hacker News is really the only forum outside of IRC where I bother to do this these days. I am also somewhat perplexed as to why you frame writing comments as wanting exposure and permanence. All I want is brief exposure to peers whose opinions I respect and whose feedback I can rely on. I get that here, but pretty much nowhere else. Permanence is manifested in the gradual betterment of my mind; my comments are but a means to an end.

I can not explain this logically, but: If I have a thought, it tends to stick in my head until I get it out in words. If I want to progress past that thought, I need to write it down to make room for the next thoughts.

The comment section in a place like HN is convenient for thoughts produced by articles linked here. Moderation takes care of the rest.

I also have a blog despite its slow posting schedule for unrelated thoughts where I want to bring up my own topic, and also have some files lying around on hard drives just for my own notes of no conceivable interest to anyone else. So it's not just "HN" thoughts, it's all kinds of things, technical, philosophical, personal, many different things. In many cases, honestly, these thoughts aren't even that good. I have sometimes read my stuff from 5 years ago sitting on my hard drive and it's all but useless. But it was going to stick around for a long time if I didn't get it out, and then there would be no room for the next thoughts, some of which were useful.

Your mileage may vary, but I know I'm not unique, either. I've seen this attested by many other people as well. We may be the minority case, or we may just be the ones who have learned this lesson, I dunno. I completely lack the data to know how widespread this effect is.

(Some similar concepts may also undergird the effectiveness of talking therapy; if you've got personal issues that you just keep hammering away on in your head, try just writing them down privately. I absolutely, positively can not promise anything, but you may find that simple act gets them out of your headspace. You may then find the next thing, but hey, it can be the beginning of a journey of progress. In the case of talking therapy, it would be getting them out to the therapist in the open, but I think there's a certain amount of evidence, both scientific and anecdotal, that the therapist is not always necessary; simply getting it out in any manner may be the majority of the helpfulness for many people. "It's complicated", of course; there are times and situations where another person being there may be very important.)

We participate in the search for truth & meaning. Collaboratively. We share our ideas & open ourselves & our motions to counterideas & augmentations/follow-ons. Participating in the public sphere of thought is amazing.

Our impact may be limited in scale of how many people we touch, but touching a few people a bit feels enormously real, and happens some. We ourselves get to hear feedback, so valuable for understanding ourselves & the world. It is enormously satisfying to participate & engage in truth & meaning diepectics, and there's always the potential for iseas to be referenced & resurface & come back. I take great joy in finding other previous related topics & discussions, in connecting dots. Since everything is on web.archive.org, our positions & views might perhaos inform & illuminate in the future. Being in public, acting in public, is amazing.

Because interacting with smart people is enjoyable. I only comment here, and I really like the community around this site. Smart people (or just people who think they're smart) providing opinions is a good way to expand my horizons.

> HN doesn't notify you of replies to your comments. And yet, people write comments, maybe hoping that someone will reply to them.

People do reply to them, you just have to check manually. Real time communication is good but not everything needs to be real time. Sometimes things are just better without it being real time - I think it helps dampen the temptation to just post for attention slightly (but not completely).

I've had numerous comments result in good feedback or further discussion here.

> The problem is: Most comments will not be read by anyone (or read by only a few), so what's the point of expressing your thoughts and opinions through comments?

This has caused me to pull back from commenting quite a bit online. I don't post aimlessly on social media or anywhere anymore, really, unless I'm convinced someone in that space is going to care or I'm contributing something. I wish more people were like this, because ...

> Is it just to get it out of your system?

a lot of people do just this and it pollutes spaces. Facebook, Twitter, and countless subreddits are just full of post upon post of people bitching, whining and complaining and I just don't need it in my face. I know things suck. What are you doing to improve them or your situation? I am not the world's therapist or punching bag.

'“Why wasn't I consulted,” which I abbreviate as WWIC, is the fundamental question of the web. It is the rule from which other rules are derived. Humans have a fundamental need to be consulted, engaged, to exercise their knowledge (and thus power), and no other medium that came before has been able to tap into that as effectively.'

https://www.ftrain.com/wwic

When I comment on an old thread on HN, it's probably because I haven't noticed that it's old, because I agree there's not much point commenting on a thread where your comment is unlikely to be read by anyone.

On Reddit, where threads seem to hang around for longer, I might comment on an older thread if I think my response will be helpful to others, but not just to voice my opinions.

> The problem is: Most comments will not be read by anyone (or read by only a few), so what's the point of expressing your thoughts and opinions through comments?

How could you even quantify that? Aside from smartphones tracking your eyes as you read, pageviews/impressions would be worthless.

With that said, I comment because we shouldn't succumb to self-censorship. People do read my comments, and even occasionally respond (when they aren't censored by the mods). It's those few people who read my comments, and take the time to think about them that I'm trying to reach. It doesn't matter to me whether it is 1 person or 1 million.

It also doesn't matter whether they agree with me or not. The fact that they took the time to read it, indicates they may also take the time to relay my message. As such, as long as the message doesn't get censored, it will likely still get passed on. Isn't that the goal of all messages, that they want to be shared? (aka memetics).

Writing is a way of thinking for me. In a venue like HackerNews I can write something that I think I believe and someone will probably take the opposite viewpoint and tell me why I'm wrong.

Sometimes that helps me change my mind if I'm less able to defend what I think, sometimes it solidifies that I was right because the response isn't substantive.

"Come for the article, stay for the comments"

If I leave a comment, it's because I feel it might be useful/interesting to the topic being discussed. It's also nice to read similar experiences from other commenters and there are nearly always some handy links that take me off on a whole new Internet journey (a bit like catacombs). QED!

It's nice to read that! I know what you mean. At the same time, I think there's always gonna be an overlap in comments because you might share your perspective whereas someone else (whose comment you didn't read) has already written a similar comment.

Why do people have conversations in real life?

In convos, you know the other person hears you and can respond. But when you comment under a post with 900 comments, yours is probably not going to be seen and responded to. How many people scroll all the way to the end of comment sections to read all comments?

I do that, depending on the topic. Because I know that there will be some people who are late to the party with good comments.

Its not a 1-1 conversation, its a group conversation. Not all group comments stick and end up as the next random discussion, but that doesn't mean they weren't heard (read). Sometimes someone says something and the conversation can just continue without a full comment in return.

And how many posts have 900 comments? Even the heavy traffic posts I see rarely approach those numbers usually we're talking 100-300.

I read comments and get value from them, so I guess I feel some duty to write them too.

I often find commenting is a good way to add some clarity to messy thoughts I have. When I write something publicly I find I'm forced to be more critical of what I'm saying. Often I'll need to do a little bit of self fact checking, or re-examine the logic of what I'm saying.

It's nice just adding some value to a conversation too. I generally try to avoid writing comments where I'm basically just reiterating what's already been said, but if I can add a new perspective then I think that's a good thing.

I suppose I'm really talking Reddit and HN comments here though. If I leave a comment on YouTube it's normally just a joke or something silly because that's all people look at YouTube comments for.

It's fun to participate in discussions, although I rarely argue opinions, because what's the point? I appreciate all of the commentary on forums because, personally, I read lots of it. Especially when I'm trying to gather information on a product or similar.

It's just normal human nature and a desire of wanting to communicate with others.

On the internet comments are the mean of communication as part of an online community. That is no different to talking to a bunch of friends in the pub. It's like asking "why do people talk to each other in a pub. Most conversations in pubs will not be heard by almost everybody in the world. Conversations with one person are only ever heard by one person, so what's the point of talking to them and expressing your thoughts and opinions?"

Do you see what I mean? There is no point in the same sense as there is no point in life if that is what you think.

The main reason I comment on anonymous sites like HN and Reddit is to gauge the reactions to my opinions on some technical, social, or economic topic. I see it as a way to have my views challenged and find out where I stand in the spectrum of society's minds. I see anonymous forums as the only way to find unfiltered honesty.

A secondary reason is as a way to improve my writing. I feel good when I'm able to express my thoughts accurately to others through language.

Dan Luu wrote an article about this: https://danluu.com/hn-comments/

I tend to think, at least here on HN, the comments tend to provide more context to the linked article/question. The audience here is more technically knowledgable on subjects and the conversation can certainly offer much more than the original link.

Of course, the community is nice here overall. In other areas, leaving comments tends to not be productive because of the trolls and overall negative commentary, things which aren't accepted here.

Often I will write a comment to steer others away from a treacherous subject. It is usually not the person I am answering that is most benefited. Because of ego that person usually will not change, at least not in the near term. However anyone reading the thread later will at least have two sides of a complex issue instead of an oversimplified, one-sided meme themed response.

That's so true :) I think this world is absurd so the best one can do is contribute to the absurdness. Absurd is its own utility.

Because some people only or mostly read comments. Like me. Usually there a few posts giving more insights than the article itself.

https://news.ycombinator.com/bestcomments & https://www.metafilter.com/favorites/all might change your mind.

The discussion in the comments is as entertaining and informative as the articles maybe 90% of the time, so that's why I read them.

I comment myself to add to the discussion and maybe learn something.

As far as lifetime and all of that, it doesn't matter to me. A verbal discussion is gone immediately, but it's still valuable to have had it.

I like to read comments, sometimes I'm reading comments under years long conversations. I like to discover what other people have in mind, some comments are pure quality and it feels like I find little gem. Same reason why I sometimes chose to leave a comment, when I feel I have something interesting to add.

> Most comments will not be read by anyone

Thats not true at all. Lots of people will read it. Like 1/3 comments gets a reply.

I read comments on almost everything. I like having varying viewpoints. If I am reading something about a subject that I am not very familiar with I might not know its opinionated unless there are user comments.

> Most comments will not be read by anyone (or read by only a few)

I think you may be wrong. I've been quite surprised at who turns out to be reading my comments and tells me much later, or my comment shows up quoted on another forum.

I guess "most" are not this, but it sounds like you're understating the odds.

I like discussion forums. You're right that I don't tend to comment after a thread has received hundreds of replies, since it'll probably be buried. But if I can get in early and have something to say I believe is reasonably insightful, I'll give it a shot.

I have learned just as much, if not more, from reading HN comments as I have from the links. I don't reply or comment very often but I do appreciate those who do. So, people who have interesting or insightful things to say, please continue to comment!

For the same reason we launched Voyager, buried a time capsule, scrawled an obscenity on a park bench, or tossed a bottled message into the ocean. Amongst all of God's creatures, only man is dumb or spiritual enough to commune with oblivion.

I don't comment much on other forums. But on HN, I only read the article after reading the comments and believe it's worth my time. So naturally, I make comments here if I feel like I'm contributing to the conversation.

Commenting here is the only time I get to engage in chit chat about tech with anyone. I don't have any tech-interested peers in the real world.

It's my slightly-more-intellectual social outlet, with a topic trend I'm very interested in.

I had the same question. And I so surprised by the numerous great quality comments. especially on reddit and HN. Like how are people reading AND finding time to summarize their opinion. This is the opposite of doom scrolling.

I often take a lot of time to write a comment. I think, I research, I change a word, remove a paragraph, move phrases around. And then, often, I just don't post it.

The reason I do this: It makes me think.

Also, why do people convert movies to torrents and put them online? Why do people volunteer for their local community? Why do people write open source software?

Getting recognition is my best guess

To share my super important knowledge as a gift to the world... and to make myself feel important. /s

Usually comments mean discussion, which can lead to learning.

The catharsis of screaming into the void.

I’ve retired most of my shitposting accounts this summer though which was my other reason (the main one) for posting online.

Humans are social animals, finding people of their own cohort of interest might be not that easy after Usenet semi-death so...

Based on the number of replies I get telling me how wrong I am, I’m pretty sure that people do read my comments :-)

I would argue that people do in fact read comments specifically on Ask HN posts.

I am not so certain about non Ask HN posts.

Can't speak for others but I find it nice to exchange thoughts with fellow humans (or AIs) (or dogs).

I comment on HN to build enough karma so I can downvote the junk / reddit style comments I see.

For the internet points. Once you can convert them to dollars, I'll be in great shape.

Because we are insane: https://www.reddit.com/r/slatestarcodex/comments/9rvroo/most...

I've been hired due to comments, and helped hire others

My voice is an uncommon one - I'm interested in having calm, intellectual, well reasoned, analytical conversations about topics like economics and technology from a leftist lens (think socialist or communist).

This forum tends to be one where I get a lot of mocking, patronizing responses, but every now and again someone actually engages. Asks a question or asks for citations, and we can have an interesting few moments of sharing ideas and comparing notes even though we vehemently disagree.

I like those moments. I see myself as part of what keeps this place from being too much of an echo chamber worshipping at the altar of capital. :D (that was tongue in cheek, don't take it too seriously.)

Are they worth the mocking "hurr durr all communists are Nazis" moments? So far yes.

To remind sober me what the hell hammered me was thinking.

If I didn't leave my comments, who would?

https://xkcd.com/386/

Seriously though, multiple reasons.

Sometimes to ask questions that are both very specific and highly relevant to the post.

Sometimes to share an odd thought that passed through my mind once, which I never planned to share with anyone, but turns out this one poster on HN seems like they might be very interested.

Sometimes just to crack a dumb joke, knowing that if it makes one person laugh somewhere in the world, it was worth the effort.

People will read this comment.

People will upvote this comment.

People will downvote this comment as it s about butterflies.

People will comment on you're grammatical mistake.

People will comment on the relevance of your username to the content of your comment.

People always underestimate the amount of readers in any place where you can leave comments. The great majority doesn't even upvote/downvote, and a small percent actually leaves comments. Check any popular site who tracks views, like Twitter or YouTube. Thousands of views, hundreds of votes, tens of comments.

In a high-traffic site it's almost guaranteed that at least one lost soul will read you comment, maybe vote/flag it, and maybe maybe reply to it.

Even if I can accurately estimate the # of replies I can expect, still the question could be asked - why comment?

But like you said, someone sometimes replies and you get pulled into threads like this - which is somehow way too much fun lol - so agree about commenting to start/participate in such convos.

Personally, more often than commenting, I forward the articles I know will be interesting to people in different group chats. And there is a lot more back-and-forth there.

People will love this comment.

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