> We're more interested in finding people like us than confronting reality.

The reality is there arent many people like us outside of work. I would love to be able to talk about this kind of stuff irl but in all my years none of my irl friends, acquaintences, etc, are more than remotely interested in the kinds of topics that come up here. There is a distinct difference between echo chambers where the opinions are common (politics), and thread discussions like on HN where real life versions are fleetingly rare. I dont think its entirely fair to conflate the two. eg:

> Is it that fulfilling to find online bytes that share your opinions?

I discuss on HN as much to find and genuinely debate alternative opinions, and IME thats a pretty common pattern. i have learned so much reading other comments, formulating thoughtful responses to others, and have others break down / extend / critique my own shared opinions. Its what makes HN enjoyable and also the primary way its different than other social media sites.

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Karrot_Kream 2 days ago | parent [-]

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45848504

206 points and 129 points on a 47 word blog post where most of the thread is about what people think about the title.

Are you sure it's actually different from other social media sites or do you just find it more relevant to you than the others?

	▲	cloverich a day ago \| parent [-]
		HN discourages jokes, memes, and flags divisive topics. They don't support images. They frequently down rank topics that aren't generating meaningful content, especially if its getting, in effect, too much (divisive) engagement. That algorithm is the literal opposite of all the top social media sites these days. Yes, it is quite a bit different!