The Internet is a cyber-wonderland where creatures from all walks of life can run rampant. Trolls, nerds, geeks -- name it and you'll find one in a sea of Facebook comments or in a long Reddit thread.
Whether you pride yourself in being able to argue wisely online or you still want to polish your rhetoric, a new study conducted by Cornell University may tickle your argumentative skills. Researchers have come up with the perfect science to win an argument in real life and in the cyberworld.
According to the Washington Post, the Cornell University study examined 18,000 threads submitted to Subreddit r/changemyview in a duration of two and a half years. The subreddit involves users submitting views, explaining them, and asking people to change them. If the original poster's views have been changed, he or she will only respond with a delta symbol -- the mathematical symbol for change.
Study author Chenhao Tan assures that the science can be applied to all forms of arguments. The steps are quite similar to the ones involved in writing a persuasive essay.
The science behind winning an online argument involves the following:
- Respond to the argument as quickly as possible. Don't be afraid to oscillate back and forth with someone on a post. However, researchers advise that the maximum number of exchanges should only be three or four.
- You may call for backup. The argument is made stronger when it is supported by others who agree with you.
- You will need to provide evidence for your points, of course. Link to outside sources.
- You must remember to keep your emotions in check. Stick to calm and even-keeled language.
- Do not correct a person's grammar or spelling. Do not just quote back what the person said.
- Make sure to write a lengthy argument with substance, but do not sacrifice quality over quantity.
- Bring up other points that your opponent did not cover.
Still, there are a few caveats you need to face. For instance, the Cornell University study found that 70 percent of the people in the subreddit thread were difficult to persuade or downright un-persuadable. Additionally, a lot of posts lurking in the Internet may be full of misinformation.
The study can be found at the Cornell University library.
Photo : Jonathan Rolande | Flickr
