Doesn’t this render the value of comments useless?
I don't find it so.
If any given post/article can stay on specific topic (which it most certainly does almost all the time) then why can’t the collective group of people do the same, particularly when the technology is specifically designed to achieve that goal?
I reject the premise that "the technology is specifically designed to achieve that goal". I believe a good conversation does branch out and lead one into a myriad to topics, where those topics relate back to the primary topic.
If conversations here were routinely jumping to something completely unrelated, then I could see your point. But I don't feel like I see that, at least not in the conversations I participate in.
My point is that a thread (topic) + comment mechanism provides a feature for humans to stay consistent at any given time. You have a submission box and you have a comment box. That's what I specifically mean by 'technology is designed to achieve that goal'.
> I believe a good conversation does branch out and lead one into a myriad to topics
If you look at this from your personal/individual perspective, then yes, that's no issue. But look at it from the perspective of the platform and the audience as a collective whole. The "branching out" leads to reduction in quality for everyone (may not necessarily so for one or two people who are engaged on the branched out topic). People who are not engaged, may not necessarily achieve anything if there are tons of branches under one topic.
I don't find it so.
If any given post/article can stay on specific topic (which it most certainly does almost all the time) then why can’t the collective group of people do the same, particularly when the technology is specifically designed to achieve that goal?
I reject the premise that "the technology is specifically designed to achieve that goal". I believe a good conversation does branch out and lead one into a myriad to topics, where those topics relate back to the primary topic.
If conversations here were routinely jumping to something completely unrelated, then I could see your point. But I don't feel like I see that, at least not in the conversations I participate in.