As the statistics show, it's no exaggeration to say that millions upon millions of entries are uploaded to the web every day—news, forum comments, social media updates, and more. While many get responses and spark discussions, others go completely unanswered. This simple fact has a name: the Warnock's Dilemma. Want to know why it happens? Keep reading.
Saying that the internet has changed how we communicate is an understatement. The web is a direct line to the world: social networks of all kinds, forums, blogs, website comments—all tools we use daily to debate and learn, now woven into our everyday lives. But haven't you ever written something expecting a response, and no one deigns to comment? What happens in those cases? That's when you're facing the Warnock's Dilemma.
Warnock's Dilemma
More than a dilemma, as Wikipedia posits, this is merely a curiosity, an exercise in speculation, hand in hand with the well-known Wadsworth's Constant. Today, the Warnock's Dilemma refers to the fact that a post—whether a news item, an article, an email list message, or a comment on some website or social network—goes unanswered by anyone. Warnock, in trying to explain the lack of response, reached an "interesting" conclusion: that no one commenting on your post doesn't necessarily mean people aren't interested in what you wrote, as the absence could have multiple explanations.
The name derives from Bryan Warnock, who originally described the dilemma in 2000. Since then, it was common in certain virtual communities until it became barely known today. Nevertheless, it was significant enough to earn a place in internet history and an entry in Wikipedia itself. As its creator explained back then, when someone doesn't respond, there can be countless reasons, to the point where "most of the time, there is no group consensus on the reason."
In his original explanation, Warnock listed five reasons why a virtual post might go unanswered:
- The post is well written, with correct information, and thus needs no further comment beyond "yes, what he said".
- The post is completely incorrect, and no one wants to waste energy pointing that out.
- No one read the post, for some reason.
- No one understood what was written and, for reasons unknown to us, no clarification is requested.
- No one is interested in the post, for whatever reason.
But there are even more reasons why this might happen, such as needing thorough prior research to respond correctly, for which the user doesn't have the necessary time. Or perhaps the user is interested in the topic but doesn't feel qualified to comment. As you can see, the reasons are endless, but we'll never know them unless someone comments and says so. What a dilemma!
Of course, this is more an exercise of imagination than a true dilemma, and even that word doesn't apply. Technically speaking, the so-called Warnock's Dilemma is a polylemma—an argument formed by multiple contrary propositions, as opposed to just two, as in dilemmas. But due to the popularity the term gained at the time, it was used to describe a complicated situation with countless choices ("Warnock applies", for example).
What's clear, my friend, is that if you've ever posted something online and no one responded, there are reasons to think the Warnock's Dilemma and its endless possibilities apply. Or, well... it's also possible no one likes you. And that IS a dilemma!
