Stupid Comments?

Happy New Year! To begin 2022, I'd thought I'd share something from 2015. As I spent much of the holidays reading about Omicron, Russia/Ukraine, President Biden, Cryptocurrencies, and everything else that's made the headlines, I've been especially troubled by the seeming lack of intelligence, rudeness, and bullying seen on "social media." It has become a "toxic" environment. Yes. Bad behavior has always been part of "The Internet" but it seems to be getting worse. Especially when it comes to commenting on an a news article or other post. It doesn't matter which platform or site. YouTube and TikTok often are singled out for criticism but you see it everywhere. 

Fact: I have never observed quite the same behavior in real life. In my own classes we have frequent discussions over current issues pertaining to technology. We have seldom have had any problems. In my own career, I have sometimes been in heated arguments with other colleagues in meetings. Occasionally with a client or student. But no one has ever resorted to blatant insults or name calling. Or threatened the person they don't agree with with violence or bodily harm. To my recollection, every disagreement I've ever been in as an adult has been resolved without resorting to any of the above. 

Of course back in grade school...

Many reasons for this have been offered: The anonymity of the Internet, the increasing "polarization" of society, the "immediacy" of typing in a quick response without thinking... Certainly all are probably true. One of my own issues regarding "comments" is that it seems as if you can't post anything thoughtful without some anonymous person singling out one little thing and taking exception to that while completely missing the point of everything else. Face-to-face, it's possible to discuss and respond to something that may need clarification. But the nature of social media, chatrooms, and discussion boards contribute to this problem. I can remember 90's era "forums," "chatrooms," and "bulletin boards" where a few users gleefully "flamed" other members for minor infractions or disagreement over something. I wasn't very old, but even back then, I knew something was wrong.

You may have noticed that I have turned my comments "off" on here. Mostly because I feel no need to provide a forum for "haters." Readers can (and do) email me about this blog. Many of my friends and colleagues follow it and ask me questions in real life. I enjoy hearing from my followers and email lets me respond seriously to questions instead of blocking or banning people.

My advice is to just "shut them down." Ask yourself why you are allowing comments anyway? To "grow" your business? To encourage "participation"? To get more "followers" or "likes"? Because you read "that's what you are supposed to do" somewhere? The last one is interesting. Has it ever occurred to you that the article you read was most likely written by someone who had a financial interest in promoting whatever it was? Clickbait anyone?

I understand. We all want to be perceived on "social media" as "young and cool and trendy" and "accepted." Not a "boomer." The current insult for anyone (from the way I've seen it used I would guess over 30) that you don't agree with. I have accounts on everything... But mostly just to stay connected. I don't post much on Instagram, or Facebook. Twitter is used mostly for sharing articles and other technical info with my students who follow me. TikTok? Well, you can read my post from a few months ago to see what I think of it... LOL 

So, turn the comments off! If you own a business, your website and email should already be providing a means for customers to submit "feedback" and share customer complaints. Remember of course, to always promote "positive" customer experiences on your website. You will be more productive, have more free time, and feel better about yourself.

Here's the link to the article I was taking about earlier: https://www.upworthy.com/the-science-of-why-the-comment-section-on-just-about-anything-is-so-awful

Stay safe and sane out there!


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