The Socialization of Opinions Today
There will always be people with different opinions. Whether it’s about opinions of a show or opinions about important political issues, there will always be another point of view or stance someone could take on the same subject. The issues don’t lie necessarily with the different opinions, but rather with how others react to opinions opposing their own.
Social media has become a very popular platform for discussing politics and social issues, as it is a driving force for growing people’s attachment to their opinions, as it is surrounding users with posts and other users who agree with those opinions. Therefore, they are encouraged to continue to spread and post their opinion, even if it is not popular, since people with similar opinions are very vocal online.
In recent years, particularly during the U.S. presidential election in 2016, there has been an increase in the use of social media as a way to express oneself regarding political opinions and sharing information about various political issues and candidates. In social media, the information does not even need to be true to be believed by those whose opinions are reinforced by it, essentially treating opinions as facts.
As information, whether it is real or not, and other people reinforce someone’s views, the attachment to those views and the illusion that their opinions are correct may cause people to have a stronger reaction to those with opposing opinions. As a result, social media users get into fights, which can only make the attachment grow. When someone is so devoted to their beliefs that they refuse to listen to others and even act to support their views (such as storm the capital) they could be referred to as “radicals”. Even people who would not have acted radically are influenced by the radicals, as the radical side of that group would have influenced them by presenting the conflict in such a way that it was the right thing to do. Many well-known groups of individuals, as well as many celebrities, can influence people’s opinions and influence them to act.
The main issue that can be seen when people discuss their different opinions on social media is that they are attached to their opinion, and it becomes a personal opinion as to if it makes up who they are, and can become a big part of their identity, therefore any other opinion would feel like a personal attack. Arguing because of opposing opinions is usually done by individuals listening to the other side with the intent not to understand or gain knowledge, but rather to simply reject the other person’s opinion.
Additionally, there is a problem of division, causing those who think alike to stray away from others and band close together as stronger support for their views. When this type of grouping happens, there could be more conflicts since it now places the “us vs them” mentality, thus making the situation a personal one, and one person would sacrifice a lot of time and energy for fighting, sometimes even going into insulting or threatening the opposing views.
Social media plays an important role in facilitating discussions and sharing opinions, so arguing online isn’t the only way people react to different opinions. Some popular ways to silence opinions and people would include cancel culture, reporting, blocking, spreading information to lower their credibility, and cyberbullying, which can lead to death threats.
Throughout discussions about opinions and reactions people get to opposing opinions, there is always the idea that one opinion is right while the other is wrong. Rather the question should be: Can opinions be right or wrong? To answer that, perhaps if the opinion is based on false information, it could be considered wrong. It could be argued that opinions can’t be wrong, only facts can. There is also the possibility that the answer is both yes and no as it depends on opinion, context, and other variables. This question serves as what seems like one of the issues with how people react to different opinions.
In any discussion in which two different opinions are expressed, there is this belief on both sides that they are right and the other is wrong. Neither believe they can change their minds nor do they want to change their minds. It could be compared to a sort of refusal to change their stance as doing so would mean admitting you are wrong or having the other person admit they are wrong.
Essentially, people’s reactions to different opinions are based on making the other person change their minds. However, you cannot change someone unless they want to be changed. Arguing with one another instead of being open to the other side and to the possibility of changing your mind causes discourse. Opinions aren’t wrong, refusing to listen to another is.
Edited by Huanan Liao
