Re:AI overviews cause massive drop in search clicks
by bonoboTP on Thursday July 24, 2025 @04:01AM
(#44668188)
Yes, and of course this way you only see the opinions of those who do comment. Which tends to skew much more to the upset and cynical side, just like with product and seller reviews on trustpilot, jameda, amazon etc.
The difference of discussing topics on the internet and in person is very stark. The average person is much more chill than the average commenter, even within the same general demographic or interest/hobby.
Now, of course I'm not saying we should have a thousand generic comments along the lines of "yeah, I guess that's pretty neat" or "oh well, that's a bummer; now onto regular daily life things..." Just that maybe it helps to consciously recognize this, though perhaps the perception can't be overridden.
And of course the negativity can masquerade as expertise. If the monkeys next to me (commenters) confidently challenge the isolated monkey's (OP) position, maybe we can defeat him and take his resources and status.
The final form of this stuff is subreddits. At least HN forces everyone onto a single front page, there are no subHNs. Which balances things a bit and prevents extreme bubbles.
The difference of discussing topics on the internet and in person is very stark. The average person is much more chill than the average commenter, even within the same general demographic or interest/hobby.
Now, of course I'm not saying we should have a thousand generic comments along the lines of "yeah, I guess that's pretty neat" or "oh well, that's a bummer; now onto regular daily life things..." Just that maybe it helps to consciously recognize this, though perhaps the perception can't be overridden.
And of course the negativity can masquerade as expertise. If the monkeys next to me (commenters) confidently challenge the isolated monkey's (OP) position, maybe we can defeat him and take his resources and status.
The final form of this stuff is subreddits. At least HN forces everyone onto a single front page, there are no subHNs. Which balances things a bit and prevents extreme bubbles.