Here's a usual copy/paste that will clear any misunderstandings before any arguments start.

Ownership can range from cooperative, democratic, or social ownership (socialism), state ownership (state capitalism) , or private ownership (capitalism). Distribution is usually how the goods and services produced by these systems can be distributed in society. Some ways of doing this is either through a planned economy or a market economy.

Capitalism and Socialism are systems of ownership. Capitalism is a system of ownership where property is privately owned. The goods produced on that property do not belong to the workers, but the one who owns the property. In turn, the owner may pay the workers a wage for using that property while they can do anything they want with the goods produced. Wealth is efficiently produced but there's an issue as to where that wealth goes. Most countries in the world today are capitalist economies. Socialists reject this because it's an inherently exploitive system of ownership.

Socialism advocates for a system of ownership where workers or society democratically decide what gets produced, and those involved enjoy the product equally. A socialist business would be run democratically by the workers (someone who founds a business can have certain rights to their original intent); pay is also determined democratically, either through a representative for larger enterprises or directly for small businesses. This goes against the hierarchical structure of private property in Capitalism and State Capitalism (nationalized industry). You can include markets in both systems. Workers cooperatives do exist in modern society and ensures worker happiness and fair pay over fast paced and wasteful efficiency. The idea behind Marxism is that socialists should take control either through elections or revolutions to set up a transition state where essential industries would centralized. This transition state would move on towards socialism and eventually, communism.

Communism is a stateless, classless, and cooperative society where automation and rational production allows people to work less and focus on their own development. ANY political ideology that focuses on moving towards a classless, stateless, and cooperative society in which all major resources are held in common ownership are socialist, regardless of the approach that they want to take to get there. Let me expand on this further:

• Socialism can't be built unless wealth has already been accumulated first under capitalism. Socialism has its place just like Capitalism and Feudalism have theirs.

• China is not stateless but is still a socialist nation because they believe that they will achieve socialism through a transition state where they nationalize all or essential industry. This is typical of Marxist-Leninist states. Marxist-Leninism advocates for a general strike, or violent overthrow that sets up a state that sets policy for the good of the the people rather than the good of the elites. A technocratic transition state.

• Anarchists are socialists who believe that dismantling the state and replacing it with a democratic manifestation of organization will lead to communism.

• Social Democrats believe that gradually introducing non-profit institutions and cooperative businesses will lead to eventual socialism and then communism.

• Socialists (Democratic Socialists or Market Socialists) believe that a democratically elected government can make way for the transition to a socialist, and eventual communist society.

Before WW1, there were two major types of socialists; revolutionary and evolutionary socialists. Both were influenced by Marxism as the unifying principle for socialism, and so they believed only the state can bring about change. Revolutionaries wanted to overthrow the state through a revolution, and Lenin was the only one who was successful at the time. Evolutionary socialists set up political parties called Democratic Socialist Parties, and believed winning elections can bring about change. Eventually, Lenin was the only one that succeeded and so others followed to start up revolutionary socialist parties called Communist Parties. With the devastating effects of WW1, the Soviets decided to delay the transition to socialism by setting up collectivist policies that would force farmers to urbanize and work in industry. Lenin called this, "State-Capitalism." State Capitalism is a term used by Lenin to describe the workers transition from going to jobs under an owner who owned a company, to the state that owned the company. By the time Stalin took power, Stalin moved on with state ownership of nearly all industry, and infamously declared, "this is socialism." People have been describing socialism as state owned industry ever since, even going as far as to call the Military a socialist institution. The reason for the harsh policies taken on by Marxist-Leninists was because of the fear of famine and invasion.

With the rise of the Internet, more people are starting to realize what socialism is. Here are some other key facts about socialism:

• For a look into how socialist companies can work, look into Mondragon corporation which is the largest worker owned cooperative and one of the largest, most successful companies in Europe.

• Socialism is generally seen as democratic socialism, which can include non-market socialism or market socialism. Non-Market socialists advocate for decentralized, local planning for local use, and centralized planning for large scale activities. These plans are made by a democratically elected government without the influence of capitalism. The idea is that the state would lose it's corrupt and bureaucratic function and retain it's administrative function to provide the peoples wants and needs from democratic input. This can include the concepts of industrial democracy or economic democracy. This may also include consumer planning. Some notable fictitious examples are included in Star Trek and Red Mars. Market Socialism is simply a market economy with large cooperatives.

• Socialism operates under post-scarcity. There is always a scarcity for resources, but capitalism is a system that relies on scarcity while socialism acknowledges the limited resources we have, and sets up a rational system of distribution based on those resources. Socialists believe we are either close, or already at a point where we no longer have to work as much as we do. Socialists believe that anything is possible when a society rationally decides production and distribution, rather than based on market or capitalist principles.

• Personal property is not the same as private property. Personally property includes your body, your house/car. Private property is used to produce wealth through private ownership. Things you buy, produce, and sell are your personal property, and you can do whatever you want with it.

• You shouldn't take people seriously when they say a society is a mix of Socialism or Capitalism (or advocate for such a thing), as that doesn't make any sense. What people mean by this is a regulated capitalist economy. Capitalism =/= Markets.

• Socialization would mean every citizen has a fair input and share of the product that is provided to them. It is where all of society commonly benefit from goods and services produced by it, and where a government only answers to the public, not the will of elites or a state. Socialization is organized democratically and is more transparent/responsive to citizen input. Nationalized industry switches the ownership of a private owner to a state run by private interests. Many socialist parties have tried to make nationalized industry more democratic.

• Communist societies include Revolutionary Catalonia, Rojova (2016), and the Paris Commune. The USSR and China (among others) are not examples of socialism or communism since they were just transition states and never achieved socialism. They are examples of states that considered themselves socialist or communist for the purpose of achieving socialism.

• Marx described in his manifesto the short term solution of nationalizing transportation, communication, and most essential industries as transition from capitalism to socialism. This does not mean a communist society will include these things as it is stateless. Marx is influential in the sense that his ideas of socializing certain industries for the sake of the people led to the social democratic parties developing the famous welfare states.

• The Scandinavian models are welfare states with capitalist economies. There is no socialism here except for Marxist influences within the Social Democratic parties. Many of the views held by Social Democrats can be inline with most socialists/communists, but the economies of those countries is not socialism. These states actually have less regulated market economies than the US.

• Anarchism is not a society without order, but one without a state. Concepts like Federalism and Confederalism are popular among anarchists. Famous examples also include Catalonia and today's Rajova. Anarchist societies simply see the state and capitalism as oppressive, and reject these hierarchical relationships.

• Don't confuse communists and socialists for being against democracy because a few transition states claimed to be communist/socialist. The DPRK claims to be democratic yet we clearly don't consider them any sort of democracy.

• Don't abuse the "No True Scotsman" This is an abuse of a generally helpful logical fallacy that can otherwise be used to organize arguments. If you know the history, kindly explain it to them so they will understand.

Please be informed of these before continuing an argument. It makes a lot of arguments shorter and less riddled with misconceptions. Cheers!