

In Defense of the Best - enra
http://karrisaarinen.com/in-defense-of-the-best

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dmix
Just to summarize, you're comparing against a point in the past where people
consumed "deeper" information and view the world as being full of fluff and
headlines, instead of deep content.

I would counter that people in the past had no choice but to read long form
articles, because it was all the content that was available to them. It's not
because they were more adept at digging deep into subjects.

All decisions humans make aren't rational, people are often running on
autopilot and their interests are fleeting.

Frequently when people browse the web, they are looking to escape reality and
relax. Comprehension and learning isn't the always the goal.

I believe people will always have deep interests in certain things and will
seek out a greater understanding of it. It's a million times easier to do
exactly that today as a result of technology - just as it has become easier to
skim media for headlines, sound bites and tweets.

People have greater options of both.

I don't think the fact that people choose the easy option more often - now
that its available - is surprising to any of us. Especially given the context
of online consumption.

Improving the content doesn't necessarily mean it will change behavior.

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digisth
We're Adaptation-Executers, not Fitness-Maximizers:

[http://lesswrong.com/lw/l0/adaptationexecuters_not_fitnessma...](http://lesswrong.com/lw/l0/adaptationexecuters_not_fitnessmaximizers/)

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dmix
Well said.

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greenyoda
The article concludes with: "I don’t think you can build sustaining business
on top of addiction."

The big tobacco companies and drug cartels would probably disagree with this
statement. I'm not saying it's ethical to make money off of people's
addictions, but cigarettes and narcotics sure seem to have been very
profitable over the long term, and have even survived massive government
action against them.

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chrischen
Yes but with drug cartels and tobacco companies society will be against you.
Look at the long term trend for tobacco. Has usage gone up or down over time?

You'll always get short term success with it but it's not sustainable in the
long term.

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HaloZero
what about caffeine (coffee, soft drinks, etc)?

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chrischen
What about them?

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tlianza
Is it possible that Facebook is indeed The Best way to feel somewhat in touch
with a lot of people you may otherwise have lost touch with, and Pinterest is
The Best way to discover recipes, craft ideas, and other things that add real
value and happiness to your life?

I think the author is being very subjective about The Best and using it to
come to an odd conclusion. The more obvious and less controversial conclusion
is that The Best apps are widely used and doing well.

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lmm
I find quora to be the worst of the mentioned sites. It seems like an endless
rehash of things that have already been said elsewhere. Which is probably why
we focus on the new; fresh insights usually only come as a result of fresh
data.

