Social media has no shortage of thinkers. Especially the ones that have things like “thinker,” “rationalist,” “intellectual,” or something similar in their bios. In fact, that might actually be you. Probably why you’re here, right? (You’ve come to the right place. 😉) But as esteemed as that label may be on the surface, a number of thinkers have certain negative tendencies I’ve observed on social media. They are either unproductive or based on flawed rationale. So if you are a thinker, let’s dive in and talk about the six things that thinkers need to stop doing on social media.

1. Thinkers need to stop thinking that intellectual topics only include science, politics, religion, and philosophical theories.

Every so often on Twitter, someone will complain that Twitter is rife with topics that they think add zero intellectual value to cyberspace. They complain that people talk too much about sex, about reality TV shows, and celebrity drama (just to name a few). On one hand, it is entirely possible for people to use social media for very different reasons than you do. In fact, those presumed “unintellectual” people online might use Twitter as a way to escape the seriousness of their lives offline.

But I want to talk about the the framing of the complaint, one that assumes that if the conversation is about sex, about reality TV, or celebrity drama, it necessarily adds zero intellectual value.

There’s the fact that this individual is not taking the initiative to spark the discussions they claim are missing from Twitter. But there is also the fact that someone can totally discuss…

• The rise of platforms like OnlyFans and what that means for having sexual agency, especially in the age of mass produced adult content.
• How the dynamic between two prominent characters in a reality show plays into harmful stereotypes that alienate a certain people group.
• An artist claiming that no one (except for maybe one person) paved the way for them and whether or not that person is playing into the myth of being “self-made.”

(Those ideas are free. You’re welcome. 🙃)

In other words, just about anything can be the beginning of an intellectual discussion if you have the insight. But instead of sharing that insight, those people are complaining about the alleged “lack of intellectual content,” building boundaries where there are none. They’re almost telling on themselves too. Without saying it, it’s almost like they are admitting that they lack the ability to add thoughtful insight, waiting for someone else to do it and complaining when they don’t see it happening.

Just about anything can be an "intellectual" topic if you are insightful enough. Such topics are not only limited to science, politics, religion, or philosophical theories. Click To Tweet

2. Thinkers need to Stop Assuming Emotion and Logic are Always incompatible

Now, in theory holding the belief that emotion and logic are always incompatible has little to no consequence at first glance. But when actualized all over social media, it can lead to a flawed conclusion.

It often goes like this: Person A says something factual. And they are obviously angry while spreading the message; it’s clear in their word choice. Person B sees Person A’s message. And instead of Person B responding to the content of Person A’s message, they latch onto the emotion exhibited by Person A like a starved piranha. Person B calls Person A emotional and dismisses Person’s A point on that basis. Person B proceeds to self-congratulate, celebrating their “intellectual superiority” since Person A dared to express emotion.

All this shows is that this individual measures the validity of an argument or statement by whether or not emotion is expressed. This is fallacious. I suppose it takes a bit of emotional intelligence to distinguish between emotion accompanying a valid statement/observation from emotion distorting the reality of the situation.

Not every expression of emotion equals a lack of logic. Learn to distinguish between emotion accompanying a valid statement from emotion distorting the reality of the situation. Click To Tweet

3. Thinkers need to stop assuming an academic journal argues your point because the abstract seems to tilt in favor of your position.

An abstract usually summarizes the goal/purpose of the research done, the materials and methods used, the major outcomes and results, and the conclusion. And even with this guideline, academic papers will differ on how this executed. Depending on the abstract, it may or may not mention the sample size (which is very important since a small sample size may not reliably depict a result). However, an abstract will not tell you:

• The date of the study
• The limitations of the study (that might interfere with your claim upon examination)
• The reputation of the academic journal
• Who funded the study

Now, granted, not all academic articles are easily accessible by the public. Some of them exist behind some sort of paywall. But in the event that you are able to find them, here are some things to keep in mind:

The date of the study

When it comes to the date of a study, generally speaking, the more recent, the better. And if studies were done on the same topic in previous years, it is important that the recent article refers to them and explains the improvement that they are hoping to establish with this updated study.

Limitations of the study

Experiments often have limitations. You’ll usually find them in the discussion section of the academic paper. For example, there is a study that concludes that your brain cannot tell the difference between reading text and listening to an audiobook. However, the experimental group only included college-educated, native speakers. They also used eText as opposed to physical books. So if the person that you are trying to prove this to is outside of being a college-educated native English speaker, you run the risk of misinforming them.

Reputation of the academic journal

Just because a paper is published in an academic journal does not mean it is necessarily reputable. Sometimes, academic journals become lax in following the peer review guidelines, putting their reputation of the journal at stake. To find out if the journal the paper is written in is reputable, I recommend going to Beall’s List and entering in the name of the questionable journal in the search bar. But usually, if you can access the article through a public database like PubMed or JSTOR, it should be fine.

Who funded the study

It is also important to be aware of who funds a particular study. I mean, it goes without saying that it would be suspect for a research group to conclude that red meat and processed meat consumption do not need to be reduced…and then find a tie between that research group and the beef industry who also happens to be one of its financial contributors. It becomes a clear conflict of interest issue. And there might be funding bias at play, the tendency for the researchers to produce results that play into the interests of the group that is sponsoring them. (By the way, this wasn’t a made up example. This particular instance of conflict of interest happened last year.)

In short, it’s not enough just to assume an abstract says it all when you bring it in an online debate. And thinkers on social media need to stop and consider this before sharing these abstracts as “proof.”

Quick head’s up. I am thinking about doing a comprehensive piece on how to properly read an academic paper. Is that something you’re down for? If so, let me know in the comments.

4. Stop Thinking the Use of High-Level Vocabulary Necessarily Implies High Intelligence

Communication is not a one-way street. Unless you’re only interested in hearing yourself talk or type, think of the audience you’re speaking to. For example, if you are talking with a bunch of doctors, then medical jargon makes sense to use. But if you are breaking down medical concepts to your everyday person, lay off the jargon and explain it as simply as possible. Like Mark Twain said, “Don’t use a five-dollar word when a fifty-cent word will do.”

"Don't use a five-dollar word when a fifty-cent word will do." –Mark Twain Click To Tweet

5. Stop assuming that muting or blocking people is automatically a sign of intellectual cowardice.

From time to time, I witness people admitting that they have never blocked or muted someone on Twitter. Sometimes, it doesn’t end with just the admission. They go on to claim that if you block or mute, that means that you cannot handle viewing opposing ideas.

Do people block and mute at any hint of opposing ideas? Yes. But folks also block and mute when:

• Someone is practically spamming their mentions with irrelevant content when they are trying to have a conversation with someone else.
• They are being stalked.
• Someone’s message could be viewed as a threat.
• Someone makes snide remarks against them in their mentions on an almost regular basis (often in anonymity).
• A chaotic individual whom they have seen in others’ mentions follows them and they want no part in that.
• They have the self-awareness and know they will behave out of character if they keep seeing a certain comment so they’re going with the “out of sight, out of mind” approach.

These are great reasons to use the block and mute feature. Twitter can be easily chaotic due to how its ecosystem is set up. Don’t deal with unnecessary chaos for the sake of appearing “intellectually strong” when those features can offer a more productive experience. (Also, no you are not taking people’s free speech away by blocking or muting them.)

It is myopic to think that using the mute or block button automatically means you are an intellectual coward. Click To Tweet

6. Stop going into a debate posting articles that seem argue your position without actually reading it.

Or else, you might end up posting a satirical article as “proof” when it’s actually mocking your position. True story. This actually happened with someone who was debating me a couple years back. 😬

I’m sure I could list more things here. But I want to hand it over to you. What are other things that thinkers need to stop doing on social media? Let me know in the comments below. Oh, and let me know if you want that article on properly reading a science journal.