Too much commentary?

On my recent trip to Canada, I picked up a magazine called "WIRED," full of all kinds of techy information. This magazine was not geared towards an education audience, but it had many articles that were relevant. One article discussed commenting and rating systems online. The point of the article was that through all this commenting, and we slowly stripping away our own sense of self and opinion? Doesn't reading someone's opinion already start to sway and form your own? A fascinating article!