💀 Should you disagree?
STOICISM.DESIGN
Should you disagree?
June 27, 2019
When someone makes a statement you disagree with in a public forum, should you pipe-in?
What is your obligation to voice an alternate option? If design twitter is all abuzz with a viral thread that started, "Everyone is a designer," how publicly should you roll your eyes? Is anyone really interested, here, if your opinion wasn't explicitly sought?
Let's flip it around. How often do you declare something, such as "links should open in the same window," as an invitation for debate? We say these kinds of these as a kind of affirmation that better roots us in our subject expertise - advice, sure, but a question? No.
"The WordPress coding standards are dated" has more in common with wearing a scarf than it does with starting a conversation. We make these kinds of declarations often to increase our status, which only works if people engage.
On the web especially, algorithms tailored for engagement ensure you're the unintended audience for a stream of consciousness. It's unlikely anyone thought "this tweet was meant for _you_", but exists instead as a form of expression, rather than an invitation for debate.
Do we _disagree_ with paintings as we walk by? No.
Many of us have strong compulsions to voice disagreement, but as with everything we should filter that emotion through a stoic prism: 1. Is engaging in this way worth my time? 2. Will anything positive come from this time and effort spent? Sometimes yes, more often - no.
You can see this whole writeup on twitter. Follow @DesignStoic for every daily if you're looking for alternate ways to consume this stuff. Your time is valuable.
Craft virtuously,
Michael Schofield
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