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When You Assume - Michigan Swamp Buck - 03-24-2025
I started this thread over on the other side and wanted to share it here as well.
I have noticed that many people have a comprehension problem that I believe is due in large part to an online information overload. Apparently, the average attention span for any subject online is around eight seconds. This is what I refer to as the goldfish effect because goldfish have a nine-second attention span.
time.com
So people will glance over the title of a topic and make a predetermined judgement about the content. They quickly presuppose whatever might actually be in an article, blog, or post, to save time for the higher-priority subjects where they can use up the full eight seconds of their attention span.
This isn't just something going on with people's online interactions, this happens in daily real-time conversations as well. Too often I have had people who interrupt me in mid-sentence and insert their predetermined assumptions like they can read minds. They are in such a hurry to reach a conclusion they don't listen for much more than half of that eight seconds before they have analyzed your partial statement, figured out the rest before you have finished, and have come to a conclusion. I've been interrupted so badly in this way as to just bow out and keep my actual thoughts to myself, as everyone seems to know what I'm saying before I even say it. Basically, no one takes the time to listen (or read) and understand what other people say because the data stream isn't condensed and fast enough.
This behavior leads people down avenues of skewed logic based on assumptions that are often political. These assumptions will also lead to mischaracterizations and misinformation to the point of libel and slander through rumors and gossip. This goldfish effect has been used for online propaganda to influence the goldfish, memes are a great example. Unfortunately, I don't have any memes I can use while having an in-person conversation. Maybe a t-shirt with memes for every occasion could work, then I could just point.
As a propaganda tool, this can be used to hijack a conversation. Cut someone off by cutting them to the chase. Just jump to some conclusions then take the conversation anywhere you want it to go.
I could start with myself as an example with this one. I would do this very thing until after annoying people like my better half far too much before I finally realized what I was doing. I have always tried to be a good listener, but what do I, or anyone else, actually hear?
I try to understand what people say more than I assume I know what they are talking about. So I listen to (or read) what they say carefully and I try to make myself as clear as my use of the English language will allow. One tactic I've been using lately is when I tell someone they have interrupted and they respond with, "Well what were you saying?", I tell them, as Oliver North would say, "I do not recall" because it was obviously not important enough for them to listen to it in the first place.
RE: When You Assume - EndtheMadnessNow - 03-24-2025
I only read your first two paragraphs because of the golden 8 second rule that I must never break and have concluded that you are full of...
Kidding. 100% agree with your post.
As most everyone here knows (I think) I use alot of memes. A mix of humor & seriousness and somewhere in between. I also do not expect everyone (or in some cases nobody) to interpret same meaning as I. Did you know one can get a PhD in memetics especially in military psyop warfare.
Quote:As a propaganda tool, this can be used to hijack a conversation. Cut someone off by cutting them to the chase. Just jump to some conclusions then take the conversation anywhere you want it to go.
Exactly. I see this all the time online. Especially, when someone is trying to raise what they believe is a serious issue and within seconds the bot army charges in with a data dump that only steers that person in the wrong direction. You don't know if you're talking to a real human or a bot.
I try my best to listen when face-to-face though depending how long they're going on for I may interrupt by saying do you have point because it's getting late. That never works well with women, but least I get some peace & quiet until they come back with a scorn look.
"Assumption is the mother of all..."
RE: When You Assume - Michigan Swamp Buck - 03-24-2025
Reply to EndtheMadness:
I hadn't even given AI bots any consideration, but now that you have mentioned it, I bet they are really good listeners. Of course, they will calculate their conclusions just as fast, if not faster, than a flesh and blood person. I'd trust AI over the online goldfish types more often than not.
RE: When You Assume - Michigan Swamp Buck - 03-27-2025
My change in attitude concerning this problem has been from polite tactfulness to becoming blunt and crude to the point of entertaining physical violence.
I cannot tolerate this behavior any longer and will endeavor to avoid these types of people until I'm cornered, then look out! I can and will use words to destroy, my tongue lashings can be evil, but some people are asking for a knuckle sandwich if they were to get in my face.
I do have to face the fact I'm getting old and my arthritic hands won't hold up for such uses so I have to find or make some brass knuckles or wear heavy rings on every finger now.
I used to have a blackjack and some brass knuckles. I don't know what happened to them.
RE: When You Assume - F2d5thCav - 03-27-2025
Best just to avoid those kinds of discussions.
Anyone who genuinely is seeking other views and has an open mind will be obvious. As will be the various pests that infest the internet.
OTOH, if people insist on engaging in person with aggressive attitudes, then, yeah, a physical response may be appropriate.
