New paper / Oh, you have an opinion? … / The Conversation / 28.04.2014

Oh, you have an opinion? Are you sure about that?

Vincent F. Hendricks

The Conversation, 28.04.2014

Tell us what you think about police brutality, organ donation, Obamacare, private schools, zoos, breast implants and stew. Tweet your instant reaction, share your perspective on anything on Formspring or go to our Facebook page to see what others think about daylight saving time or suicide.

We are asked to share our opinions all the time by companies, media outlets and governments but does it make any sense, or any difference?

We have never been asked to produce as many opinions as we do now. And if, by any chance, you don’t have an opinion on a given topic, the web is an almost infinite repository. A quick google will offer up a view for you.

Having an opinion these days is a bit like wearing clothes. You better have one on your person at all times, whether you are walking down the street or sitting at your desk. At any moment you might run into someone with a microphone or smartphone, eager to register your opinion and throw it into online circulation. But suppose for a minute that you don’t really have one. Rarely do we hear anyone say “I don’t really have an opinion about that”.

Read the full paper here