“You know everything.” Are you sure about that?
This is all normal, in a way, because blog, forum and internet in general have become mainstream medias, but let’s face it – they are still not as powerful as TV or newspapers with big circulation, especially in the Balkans nor in countries with low percentage of internet users per capita such as Greece and Turkey.
But it is this post on Limbic nutrition that made me think a bit deeper on the subject of forum and blog fenomenon.
First, about the impact blogs and forums have on other medias and also about flame wars that get started on blogs and forums, so i wrote a couple of articles on these subjects that i will publish this week.
This is certainly not the first nor the last time that the fuss in the blogosphere or on the forums spills over to the ‘real world media’, but what is interesting for me – correct me if i’m wrong – i think lately it’s happening more often than before and has greater impact. What also interests me in the flame-war case is what makes people start bashing each other.
Being that it was Milosevic’s death anniversary yesterday, the first net-to reality case that comes to my mind and that is worth mentioning is the Counter-Obituary, brainchild of b92 Forumashi. It is strange and in a way sad how this ‘prank’ turned out to be practically the only sign in foreign medias that there are people in Serbia who are not mourning Milosevic. Counter-funeral, also planned at B92 forum, was another action that showed a little different picture of Belgrade in that time. One year later, at the first anniversary of his death, i can’t really find any affirmative blog posts about him. Also pay attention to one other good obituary by Eric of East Ethnia.
Milosevic’s name is bound to start a net war. There were always and there always will be people who don’t like him, and few people who like him (see Neil Clark’s blog . Even though the online group of Milosevic-haters is by far bigger than the group of his supporters, it seems as if the supporters are louder and manage to create a balance. How long can this go on i wonder?
What do you think makes people bash other people on the internet? Is it the (false?) feeling of anonymity or would they behave in such a way even if they talked face to face? Have you ever got the desire to bash someone or, as Limbic says, get your hands on online adversaries? What makes you leave a comment on a forum or a blog in the first place? (that’s a lotta questions, i know.)
Coming up: The Kurir files
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Quote: “Even though the online group of Milosevic-haters is by far bigger than the group of his supporters, it seems as if the supporters are louder and manage to create a balance. How long can this go on i wonder?”
I also think that besides being “louder” it is also the nature of the internet as well; I think that to some degree blogs, forums, websites, give a somewhat disorted view of political views (of course, I have no research to back me up on this). The internet offers two major incentives, anonymity and finding like minded people. With anonymity I can post whatever I want (to a degree) and have virtually no repercusions. I can post at some “We love Milosevic” website, or what have you, and not feel the repercusions of collegues finding out about it.
Beyond just anonymity, the internet also offers the chance of finding like minded people who share my view, and who can bolster it as well. No matter how outlanding or distasteful that view is, chances are within 2 minutes of google search, I can find at least one other website that subscribes and promotes that view.
I think that the combination of anonymity and stregnth in numbers gives people with minority points of view, and those on the political fringes more confidence-thereby they seem to be a bigger, more influencial presence than they actually are.
It also has something to do with the fact that the small minority with extreme views are probably deemed much more newsworthy and interesting than the majority of people who don’t hold such views.
“One peculiar internet drama has been in blogosphere focus lately: Greek and Turkish youtubers started and all-out video war…”
When I started out finding youtube videos for my blog, I was amazed at how nasty and egoistical these youtubers were to one another (Croatians/Bosnians/Serbia). This made me think and confirmed “wow, these yugos are crazily nationalist.” However, as my search subject expanded, I discovered that the nastiness and online-verbal war did not have to be confined to the ex-Yugoslavia. Geez, I got an eye-full “history” of the great Bulgaria, Romania, etc. For American youtubers, it’s about the war between liberal and conservative. Hmm, perhaps, the freedom of speech is not widely embraced in Asia yet or their alphabets are not understandable, otherwise we would witness a cultural online war from the Asians as well.
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“it seems as if the supporters are louder and manage to create a balance”
One of my first impressions of the ex-yugoslavia was that this region was full of nationalist/radical people. However, one of my friend said that sometimes problems only needed a really tiny minority. Overtime, I think she was right.
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“It also has something to do with the fact that the small minority with extreme views are probably deemed much more newsworthy and interesting than the majority of people who don’t hold such views.”
Often I agree as I these opinionated are more willing to talk to me; they even bug me to talk to me. For the rest, they seemly have a carefree attitude. Some of the things I learned in Bosnia, I learned from such people. Their opinions could be very disturbing, but they forced me to read up, dig up info and most importantly think.