Communities can grow on the internet quite rapidly, and
around most anything. Regarding these communities, I find it interesting how
quickly some of the comments can become extreme, particularly when there are differing
opinions between two groups. Before long, a disagreement on which game, or
phone, or movie is better, can turn into foul words, racial slurs, and even
violent threats. Are this many people this extreme about things like this?
Probably not. So what’s happening? It’s nothing new that people are extreme on
the internet. It’s a land of hyperbole. A new video game is either the greatest
masterpiece to ever grace the gaming world, or an abomination that must be
destroyed along with anyone who enjoys it. There are 3 things in particular I
think that cause this extremism.
First is anonymity. The more anonymously one is posting;
the more ridiculous of a statement one feels s/he can get away with. Even if
his or her name is attached to the comment, there’s a good chance no one else
in the discussion has any idea who s/he is. That anonymity, and the literal safety
of being able to comment from one’s bedroom, allows many to comfortably say
things they’d never say in real life.
Second is people’s natural tendency to join teams. Being
on a team is fun. When there’s a divide in opinion, like which video game
console is better, two so called teams are formed. If one has any preference at
all in the matter, one could quickly find themselves joining a team, and being
compelled to compete against any other teams. Once someone has found this
identity on their ‘team’ it’s a small step to finding joy in hurling insults at
anyone opposed and do whatever it takes to ‘win’.
Thirdly, some of the hurtfulness of a comment is
interpreted by the reader, regardless of the writer’s intent. Invaluable things
such as tone of voice, inflection, facial expression, and body language, are
all lost in a textual comment on the internet. In person, I could have a
civilized conversation with a co-worker about why he prefers PlayStation, and I
prefer Xbox. There would be no issue, because we know each other, and can see
the other means no ill intent when he states why he likes one over the other.
On the internet, a statement like “PS4 is better” is interpreted as a threat to
anyone who thinks otherwise. It’s easy to imagine the writer of the comment was
being aggressive, and when you take into account the team dynamic I mentioned
earlier, it’s easy for someone to be threatened by such a simple, innocuous
comment. These misinterpretations of intent can quickly and easily snowball
into increasingly rude and violent comments about something as simple as which
gadget is better.
There’s another part of this phenomenon that intrigues me.
When you look at the comments left about a particular thing, you might get a
general idea of what people think about that thing. That opinion however, could
be completely different from what the overall opinion of that thing really is.
This is best explained with an example. Earlier this week a video game called Destiny was released. It’s the first
game in a new franchise developed by Halo
creators Bungie. Shortly after the game’s release, the internet exploded with
negative feedback about the game. There were certainly people praising the
game, but there was an overwhelming amount of hatred toward it. By reading
comments shortly after its release, one might think Destiny is not a good game. The facts, however, say otherwise. Destiny became the most pre-ordered game
in history. It was an incredibly ambitions project with a budget of 500 million
dollars, making it more expensive than any game, or even movie, ever produced.
A bold move for the first installment of a new franchise, but the game made
back its 500 million within the first 24 hours. The facts show people want the
game, so where’s all the hate coming from? The interesting thing going on here,
I believe, is who’s commenting on the internet vs. who isn’t. Of course there
will be people disappointed by the game and people who dislike it. That’s the
community who will take to the internet to complain. So where’s the community
of people who bought the game and love it? Where are they to balance out, or
even outnumber those who hate on it? My guess is that community is playing the
game, rather than writing their opinions on the internet.
In the end, I think it would be unwise to ever base an
opinion solely on what others say on the internet.
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