Never waste time arguing on Facebook

We all think differently and have different ways of accessing information, so next time someone is trying to antagonize you on Facebook, just ignore them and don't waste your time.

Never Waste Your Time Arguing With Someone On Facebook, Here's Why

You’ve probably seen this happen many times: You post an opinion on Facebook, or a complaint, or a link to another article. Someone comments, agreeing or disagreeing with what you said. Someone else comments, disagreeing or agreeing with the first commenter, or with you.

Then other people jump in with their opinions. Arguments break out. Bad words are thrown around. And pretty soon you’re caught in a virtual argument, with insults being thrown in every direction, sometimes at people you’ve never even met.

There's a simple reason this happens: We react very differently to what people write and what they say – even when the content is exactly the same.

That’s the finding of a fascinating new experiment conducted by researchers at the University of Chicago and the University of Berkeley. In the study, 300 people read about, or watched videos of, or listened to debates about hot-button topics like war, abortion, country music, or rap. They were then asked about their reactions to the opinions they disagreed with.

Their reaction is generally familiar to anyone who has ever discussed politics: They believe that people who disagree with them are either stupid or uninterested in knowledge and social understanding.

But there is a distinct difference between people who watch or listen to someone speak and people who read the same content in writing. People who watch or listen to someone speak are much less likely to perceive that person as ignorant or cruel than when they read that person's words in writing.

This result was not surprising at least to one researcher, who got the idea for the experiment after his own experience.

“A friend of mine read a passage from a newspaper that was a speech by a politician he disliked,” says researcher Juliana Schroeder. “The next week, he heard the same speech on the radio. He was shocked to realize that his reaction was completely different from when he read the article.” While the words may seem absurd and arrogant, when spoken, they seem reasonable.

We are using the wrong medium.

This research shows that the best way for people who disagree with each other to cooperate and understand each other better is to talk to each other, as people do at dinner or meetings.

However, nowadays, a lot of human interaction takes place on social media, text messages, chat software, or email. Verbal communication or discussion is almost non-existent. So it is no coincidence that disagreement and opposition are constantly occurring.

So what should we do? First, if you want to be convincing, it’s best to make a short video (or link to someone else’s video) rather than write down what you want to say. Also, whenever you see something written that seems contradictory, remember that the fact that you saw the text is part of the problem. If you want to be more objective, try reading it out loud or having someone else read it to you.

According to Cafebiz