Do we really need comments sections?
Do social media platforms and news websites really need comments sections? I don’t think so.
Thoughtful, reflective discussion is always interesting, but comments sections don’t select for that. Ask yourself:
- How much effort is required to comment?
- How long after reading an article or post must one wait before commenting?
- Do users need to read the article or post at all before commenting?
- Can a user comment after reading only the headline?
- Can a user comment from a noisy bar, a family reunion gone wrong, or a hateful rally?
We know the answers to these questions. These platforms don’t care if comments are reasonable. They just want people to comment.
As such, today’s software is terrible at fostering anything like real-world dialogue. Comments can certainly be used for profound good, and some communities like Hacker News are mostly cordial. It’s also true to say that bowling balls can be made to roll uphill. It’s just not easy. The naive software designs of today work against productive conversation.
Imagine if we optimized for quick, lazy, heat-of-the-moment retorts. Imagine if comments could be posted instantaneously, without almost any effort at all. Imagine if the author of the original piece immediately received a beep or buzz letting them know that someone had an opinion, someone who couldn’t be bothered to engage in a slower-paced, private, ideally face-to-face conversation. Of course, that’s exactly how comments work today.
What if we gave megaphones to absent-minded, uninformed critics? What would we expect society to look like?
None of this should be taken for granted. There’s no law of physics requiring that online platforms offer comments sections, and there’s no law of physics requiring that they work the way they presently do. Nature doesn’t demand that Facebook, TikTok, and online newspapers give digital spitballs to billions of users. It’s time to revisit that.
In the meantime, consider turning comments off whenever possible. Engage in deeper conversations and ask your critics for proper, long-form rebuttals. Ask that they respond privately, so that they’re not tempted to dunk on you like so many TikTok influencers and so that you’re both amenable to learning, growing, and changing your minds. You may find that your audience responds either with genuinely interesting perspectives or with nothing at all. Both are better than the usual sludge.
If we want our grandchildren to inherit a world that’s tolerable, we need to have better conversations. For precisely that reason, it’s time to rethink or eliminate comments sections.
This short piece originally began as a post for my thoughts page, where I often write about my frustration with social media. If you found this interesting, consider reading my posts over there. Don’t look for a follow button; thoughts wisely eschews following, commenting, sharing, and the like. Bookmarks work just fine.
If you’re looking for an alternative to antisocial media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and TikTok, give thoughts a try. I don’t get any kind of kickback or reward for recommending it, and I genuinely do recommend it as an alternative that’s much more pleasant. It has an “old internet” feel in the very best way.
