How to explore Scott Alexander's work and his 1500+ blog posts? This unaffiliated fan website lets you sort and search through the whole codex. Enjoy!

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3 posts found
Jun 06, 2022
acx

It's Bad On Purpose To Make You Click

3 min • 288 words • 86 comments • 298 likes
Scott writes a satirical poem about clickbait content, repeating the refrain 'It's bad on purpose to make you click' to critique manipulative media practices. Longer summary
This post is a satirical poem criticizing clickbait content and manipulative media practices. Scott uses rhyming verse to humorously describe how outrageous or controversial content is deliberately created to generate engagement on social media platforms. The poem advises readers to recognize this tactic and avoid engaging with such content, repeating the refrain 'It's bad on purpose to make you click' throughout. Shorter summary
Jun 04, 2020
ssc

Problems With Paywalls

16 min • 2,127 words • 465 comments • podcast (14 min)
Scott Alexander discusses the problems with paywalled articles and proposes solutions to improve internet users' experience. Longer summary
Scott Alexander criticizes paywalls on articles, arguing that they create artificial curiosity, hinder public discourse, and make information searching frustrating. He explains how paywalls can negatively impact user experience by creating clickbait, limiting access to important discussions, and complicating information searches. Scott proposes several solutions, including search engine options to hide or mark paywalled articles, browser extensions to identify paywalled links, and better practices for bloggers and social media users when sharing links. He commits to implementing some of these practices in his own writing. Shorter summary
Jan 21, 2015
ssc

These Are A Few (More) Of My (Least) Favorite Things

20 min • 2,773 words • 682 comments
Scott Alexander presents a new list of internet annoyances for 2015, ranging from argumentative tactics to web design issues. Longer summary
Scott Alexander reflects on his 2014 post about things he wanted to stop seeing on the internet, noting some improvements. He then lists 10 new annoyances for 2015, including misuse of Poe's Law, overuse of violent language in debate, cheap shots in arguments, Wikipedia-shaming, intrusive web design, clickbait tactics, overuse of 'entitled' as an insult, confusing 'post-' labels, and pedantic disputes about human evolution. The post is written in a humorous and slightly exasperated tone, critiquing various internet habits and trends. Shorter summary