The Masked Commenter

In Lanier's first chapter, he lays out some of the problems that he sees with the digital world. Though he spends time discussing how conventions that were put in place in the past limit us now and can continue to do so in the future, such as the 'file' metaphor, I'd like to discuss the other main portion of the chapter. Lanier lays out a few specific issues that he has, most of which I agree with. The one point of his that I'd like to focus on is his comment on 'trolling'. Though he doesn't offer his own personal definition, trolling, according to urbandictionary, is "Being a prick on the internet because you can." This definition works well enough for my discussion here, so we will use that. My contention here, which was sparked by the Lanier chapter, is the pressure that the web 2.0 environment and commenting in general can stifle the best opinions of content creators. Opening up articles, videos, etc, to public, anonymous discussion both in comments and in other blogs that can be created by anyone could mean that someone who previously would have worked to perfect their voice in a more confined setting could be discouraged by anonymous attacks from random individuals. Though it could be said that people who want to publish content should be prepared to face criticism and defend their stance or views, the anonymity of the internet has bred a culture of random and thoughtless attacks. These attacks can also cause talented individuals who are already established to lose control and lash out in return, which creates a sad cycle of insult that prevents valuable information from being created and shared. I'd like to cite the somewhat infamous example of the sports blog Deadspin and author Buzz Bissinger (http://deadspin.com/385770/bissinger-vs-leitch). Mr. Bissinger has written for magazines, newspapers, and books, all of which underwent a great deal of review, mostly favourable. However, he did not agree at all with, a) the fashion and content of a blog's reporting and b) the ability for anyone to leave a comment on an article, which, though they are moderated, are held to a standard somewhere around a locker room level of discussion. Bissinger eventually stopped writing for a period of time after this incident. While I don't agree with Mr. Bissinger here completely, I do see the larger problem of 'the mob' stifling the greatest work that can be put on the internet. Media 2.0 may need to break out of its 'lock-in', as Lanier puts it, of constant discussion for it to continue to grow. I see trolling as a rot in this development, and hope that it can be controlled.