Have online comment sections become 'a joke'?

[SecularMotion]

Austin, Texas (CNN) -- In the early days of the Internet, there was hope that the unprecedented tool for global communication would lead to thoughtful sharing and discussion on its most popular sites.

A decade and a half later, the very idea is laughable, says Gawker Media founder Nick Denton.

"It didn't happen," said Denton, whose properties include the blogs Gawker, Jezebel, Gizmodo, io9 and Lifehacker. "It's a promise that has so not happened that people don't even have that ambition anymore.

"The idea of capturing the intelligence of the readership -- that's a joke."

http://www.cnn.com/2012/03/11/tech/web/online-comments-sxsw/index.html?hpt=hp_t2

[Jackpine Radical]

1. I guess that's abut right for responses to M$M.

Those territories have become the exclusive territory of right-wing trolls, who compete with each other on viciousness.

That's OK, though. People who actually have something to say have other outlets--like DU, for example.

[Liberal Veteran]

2. They were more interesting in the early web days.

Around the time AOL and such began introducing their users to the net, things went downhill fairly rapidly.

[Kalidurga]

3. I rarely read online comments

or bulletin boards. They are full of mean vicious trolls and some that try to be and fail at being funny. I don't even have high standards. But, if you go to any story it could be one about a dog saved from a flood some asshat will say it is Obama's fault for letting it flood in the first place. And then there are people that will support the worst atrocities done in the name of our government.

[LeftinOH]

4. In the earliest days of television, the hope was that the new medium

would 'increase knowledge and understanding'.. or something like that. But, the lowest common denominator always wins out.

[Liberal Veteran]

9. and once we thought we were at the bottom....Dr. Phil and Jersey Shore.

[JohnnyRingo]

5. I live in a two to one Democratic district.

But if you read the online comments in our newspaper's web site, you'd think we lived in Freeperville. It appears right wing nut jobs enjoy trolling comment sections for a fight.

You'd think they'd spend more time cleaning their mom's basement so they'd at least have a tidy place to live.

[Peregrine Took]

6. Should have to post with real names like Facebook. n/t

[nadinbrzezinski]

7. Yes

[snooper2]

8. You know, when it's on Snookie being a whore or Politics...

Every dumb ass Tom, Dick and Harry have an opinion. All you have to do is have the medium to be able to post your idiotic ramblings and everybody can see it.

Now, if you have an article or video about science, welding the splines in a rear-end, restoring a SAE tuner or knitting a scarf it is different. There you get people who have a common interest in something where you have to know what the fuck you are talking about. If one idiot posts something outside the subject matter or says something about the subject that is just asinine, then you get everybody else jumping on their ass.

Example - (and there are millions like this)

read the comments here...mostly intelligent thought, until an idiot shows up and people say - idiot

&feature=related
Coil on plug quick test


It should be noted that the author of the piece be it written or spoken or whatever, should be always aware of the potential for criticism. If you look like you filmed it with a sponge or speak like a 4th grader, get ready

[zbdent]

10. they really became a joke when

you could find a Bill Clinton sex joke on damn near every topic in the usenet newsgroups, no matter how far their topics were from "politics" ...

[madrchsod]

11. depends if there`s a moderator

[murielm99]

12. Sometimes I read the first three or four comments.

Occasionally, there is an insight I had not thought about, or a point of view worth considering. I stop reading right away if there is nothing but vicious right wing trolling. I think that is true of people far less liberal than me. Their trolling has lost its effect if no one pays attention to it.

[sammytko]

13. I only read comments here and on nytimes

You have to pay a fee for nytimes if you want to read more than 20 articles.

The comments, even the conservative view, are generally interesting and add to the conversation.

[Canuckistanian]

14. People who respond to online messages are idiots

Oh, wait.....