You win debates for onlookers, you're not meant to change the perspective of the person you're debating, you're meant to make them look like idiots so that any lurkers who quietly agree feel bad and change their viewpoint. The left lost because they weren't willing to do this hard enough.
The on lookers don't care. That's why they are on lookers. The best you might do is prevent someone searching for an ideology blindly adopting some rando's. Honestly, though, if they are letting rando's arguing online form their worldview you are far from actually helping them.
They don't care consciously, but subconsciously they'll know and remember the time and idea was defended badly whenever it comes up, especially if their knowledge on it is a blank or close to blank slate.
If you make it entertaining and thus a source of dopamine, and even better yet very consumable - you've got bonafide content and then people start caring, even if it's only for lulz.
They'll associate your views with intelligent witty dunks and the dopamine they bring and have a favourable view of them.
That's both the model of the "Le angry feminazis!" reaction channels of the post-gamergate world and the hbomberguys of the world, especially his earliee stuff.
It unfortunately also not a thing in real life. Tried to convince my mother's partner that transphobia and homophobia is bad. Best I could do is to him admit it was not about "protecting the children".
I know it's wrong and primarily unjustified to think this, but sometimes I feel that we've evolved not at all as a species. We've developed fancier stuff, but barbarism is alive and well. It's just wearing an expensive suit now.
Yeah I've burned a depressing amount of time in conversations that aren't going somewhere. And yet, I keep finding myself back at that toxic ass watering hole 😔