I saw this article by Nathan J. Robinson on Current Affairs and wanted to share. I do agree with the idea that the twitter format discourages deep conversation and debate. Lemmy is in general much better in this regard, but even still it is affected by the wider internet culture of our time, and a proper debate culture takes effort.
Even on Lemmy I frequently see more nuanced takes being shut down by quick, snarky comments pushing the conversation into absolutes. And yes, a democratic society absolutely requires healthy discussion of difficult issues, not just outrage.
IMO verbal debate is a poor substitute for writing, where you can take more time to consider what is being said and look up or cite information. Anonymity also helps a lot in various ways, when in person social considerations normally trump the interest of crafting good argument. Also personally something about speaking and interpreting speech makes it harder to think.