According to an essay on LessWrong, the internet has become the primary engine for spreading ideas—more effective than traditional real-world networking or lobbying. The author argues that ideas now workshop themselves online before surfacing in everyday conversation, pointing to examples like Britain's pothole crisis, YIMBY housing advocacy, and rationalist AI-safety theory—all of which gained mainstream traction through online bloggers. The advantage is efficiency: a single polished blog post can reach thousands of key influencers with less than thirty hours of thinking compressed into readable form. Real-world lobbying, by contrast, might reach a thousand people over a full year of work. Even AI company CEOs rely on online essays to amplify their influence. In-person connection fades fast and meanders in speech, while online writing is precise, durable, and spreads through networks of voracious readers. The takeaway: careful writing beats glad-handing every time.

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