Filed under: Internet, Web services, Social Software
Why all the social web angst? Readers Sound Off
Is there a reason members of social communities are so mean to everyone? All the wikipundits (those who think wikipedia is the library of congress or something) are so disparaging, so unfathomably harsh, and for what? Ruthless users of social news sites almost make me want to put non-labeled generic cleaning products in their coffee to prove a point, but not quite. I really don't get it, the social-sharable web culture is very generous, helpful, and interesting at times. At other times, not so much.Why all the trolling, the war-mongering with no reserve, no calm, cool, and no collected? Seriously, what is the deal? Are social networks just prime communities for unmoderated smack talk and trashing less-educated users? Tell us why you think a hot social news community can be such a dangerous place to get your comments on, especially for the less-savvy.
Roger Clarke's "Ethics and the Internet" is an interesting read on the topic if you are interested, and though a bit dated it has some interesting tidbits to offer on the subject.
(thanks to David for the assist)
After spending the better part of an hour on 