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Re:Half Blamed the EU for Their Problems, Blame Facebook for... by rexaliquid on Wednesday June 29, 2016 @03:38PM (#12004186)
You'd be surprised.
Re:Half Blamed the EU for Their Problems, Blame Facebook for... by IanCal on Wednesday June 29, 2016 @04:26PM (#12004550)
Well I've just checked the front page and it seems extremely focused on a small range of issues. So I'm currently unsurprised.

Is there an article about the huge benefit of for-profit journals? How abortion is an affront to God? How ISIS is trying to do some good in an area?

Are you really suggesting there's really no bias towards certain demographics or viewpoints?

Re:Half Blamed the EU for Their Problems, Blame Facebook for... by Noos on Wednesday June 29, 2016 @04:47PM (#12004684)
You could add articles against drug legalization, articles from a conservative (i.e. not libertarian or liberal) basis, articles against increasing city density, articles in favor of cars and suburban living, articles in favor of strong intellectual property laws, articles on the religious ideas and uses of technology, etc.

There's a definite demographic that posts here, and it is very much an echo chamber.

Re:Half Blamed the EU for Their Problems, Blame Facebook for... by dang on Wednesday June 29, 2016 @06:07PM (#12005173)
Here is an example of what I claim is not the case. We see angry arguments about all of those topics on HN. They're not even infrequent.

My claim is that you (I don't mean you personally, but all of us in your position) perceive HN as an 'echo chamber' on such issues precisely because it isn't. I imagine there are small biases on some of them, but people exaggerate this into "groupthink", "bubble", "echo chamber", etc., not because that's how it is but because that's how it feels.

Re:Half Blamed the EU for Their Problems, Blame Facebook for... by type0 on Wednesday June 29, 2016 @07:43PM (#12005683)
It is an echo chamber for some of the threads, for other - people agree to disagree.
Re:Half Blamed the EU for Their Problems, Blame Facebook for... by dang on Wednesday June 29, 2016 @06:06PM (#12005165)
> Are you really suggesting there's really no bias towards certain demographics or viewpoints?

No one's suggesting that, but the fact that you had to pick those odd examples to make your point is evidence that on many common issues (which I hesitate to name because even naming them makes sparks fly) this community is deeply divided. And when people complain about HN being biased against their view, it isn't ISIS or abortion they're thinking of.

Re:Half Blamed the EU for Their Problems, Blame Facebook for... by Udik on Wednesday June 29, 2016 @04:42PM (#12004663)
Are you two disagreeing about something, by any chance? :)
Re:Half Blamed the EU for Their Problems, Blame Facebook for... by reitanqild on Wednesday June 29, 2016 @04:51PM (#12004716)
> Well I've just checked the front page and it seems extremely focused on a small range of issues.

This is by "design". These are almost the only things that are on-topic here and we mostly like it this way. I'm sure you know.

Re:Half Blamed the EU for Their Problems, Blame Facebook for... by patrickmay on Wednesday June 29, 2016 @04:20PM (#12004499)
If only there were some kind of survey mechanism on the site to test the various hypotheses. ;-)