We live in a time where people are able to share in one second the thoughts that they dreamt up in two seconds. This can be beautiful but it can also be quite problematic.

Often times I’ll find myself on Instagram, whose Explore feature likes to oscillate between showing me hardcore communist propaganda and tea party conservative memes. No matter the side of the spectrum though, invariably I’ll see a claim such as House rep. Ilhan Omar is a terrorist or graphs that play tricks on the reader to suggest one thing when really the data represents the complete opposite.

When I was twelve, there’s no doubt in my mind that I would engage the kind of people that post misinformation online. I would debate them until we were both blue in the face, at the end both of us still resolute in our beliefs. My (limited) personal experiences tell me that most people, especially as they grow up, don’t change their beliefs or principles unless something major happens in their life. Me arguing with a homophobe probably won’t be fruitful – until one of their close and most respected friends comes out to them, showing them that not all gays are bad. Convincing a person that deep into their beliefs and prejudices isn’t a challenge I like to take up anymore.

What I learned however was that debate (competition) has never been about convincing the other person. It’s about the judge. The spectator. The person who is also looking at those Instagram comments – maybe someone who hasn’t yet made up their mind – and now sees a discourse that presents more nuanced information that they can follow and make their own judgement on.

When I see misinformation nowadays, a random claim or misuse of statistics, I don’t engage with the poster directly because they often will get defensive and the conversation will be fruitless. I do however like to leave other sources, information, and my opinion on why the OP’s information might be skewed or inaccurate in an attempt to let their audience see the other side.

A last thing I like to keep in mind when commenting online so that things stay classy is that I’m arguing against a point not a person.