Musings Archive

Got an Opinion? I Bet You Do (07/09)

This is one of my favorite cartoons:

by Randall Munroe, XKCD

It always amazes me how angry and nasty some people get when they post about a topic or issue presented on the internet. They “speak” in absolutes, sometimes using inflammatory language just for the purpose of eliciting a response from someone else. Most of the “in person” arguments that go in this direction, and to which I’ve been witness, don’t seem to reach any intelligent conclusions; they just dissolve into either a shouting match until people aren’t speaking to each other, or participants dwindle and walk away disgusted or saddened. I’ve seen the same thing happening now online as well, but the arguments seem to go on and on and on….

The stimulus for this musing was, at first, the reaction of many philanthropic people to the Kiva Organization’s decision to open up their funding avenues for United States citizens; and then a post from a very disgruntled person on the TED forums. Both instances contain thoughtful, well formed opinions from people offering challenging and interesting ideas to the discussion; and then there are the “flamers,” who’s only intent, it seems, is to disrupt the exchange and use language they probably don’t use in the company of people face to face. I could just imagine readers walking away from their computers in much the same situation as I mentioned before, disgusted or disappointed at the missed opportunity to share ideas.

Obviously, I have an opinion about this. Believing that the internet is one of the greatest mediums to express oneself, it does not surprise me at all that every degree of personality is represented in discussions on the web. What has been fascinating is how this “cyberplace” of anonymity has seemingly freed certain people to express their opinion and ideas, as well as just casual communication, in ways they would not normally.

It allows personalities that in “real life” might be subdued, possibly repressed, to let out the lion/snake/tiger/demon (you get the idea) and express things in ways that might shock family and friends. The internet allows a person to state what they truly believe and play a part when surrounded by others. You can be anyone on the web, and sometimes that may not be so nice.

So, getting back to the Kiva incident, this is an organization to which you donate money and then designate an individual or group that will use this donation to make a better life for themselves and their families. The receiver then pays back the loan in increments and the donor can reallocate the funds again. Up until June, most of the need was focused in third world countries and impoverished communities overseas. In mid June, Kiva launched two pilot partnerships with microfinance institutions in the United States.

This has produced many a discussion, from good to ridiculous, but the worst ones have been in which an individual or group state angry absolutes – they are right, discussion ended, no facts or information to back up what they have written and in some cases they present misinformation just to sway someone to their side. (shakes her head)

To me, this is an example of how one needs to evaluate personal participation in forums, blogs, etc. on the internet. Sometimes, it may be useless to engage in a discussion. No matter what you post, anyone that wants to reply in a caustic and blind to reason fashion has plenty of time to construct their response. The thing that intrigues me the most is the question of how that person behaves in their everyday life. Sometimes, you find out, but in most cases you will never know the stranger behind that mask.

Unless they post a picture and details about themselves in a profile. This is the case of the disgruntled man on the TED forum. What struck me as funny was he stated how narcissistic one of the presenters was, and then filled his profile with some of the most narcissistic material you could imagine. Made me laugh.

So if you ever feel the need to enter an internet discussion, please stay calm, back up your facts, don’t resort to foul language, and don’t take anything personal. You can learn a lot from others on the internet, including what’s really going on inside that brain of theirs. Is that a blessing or a curse?