Very interesting article on Popbitch about the cost of comment sections. Apparently they are on the way out as they are not worth the cash or legal effort. And Jeremy Corbyn is partly to blame.
TBH, I don’t know how people find the time. I post on here a bit, but that is about it. Anyone a regular at CiF and its ilk?
God, the sooner the fucking better. I’d turn the entire internet off if I could, half the time. Even here, I find myself wishing I hadn’t made about 4 out of every 5 of my posts (I’ll probably regret this one too).
The problem with t’internet is the illusion that people are listening – it stokes your ego and makes you think, for just longer than it takes to type a comment, that you’re worth listening to or have any expertise that might shed light on the Big Issues Of The Day. I gave up commenting, then came back, then didn’t post on the politics or argument threads, and now I’m back where I started.
I have genuinely no idea how the real CiF keyboard warriors manage it – I suppose they must not have jobs.
There has never been a more ironic title for a Comments feature than the laughter-inducing ‘Comment is Free’.
Ian agree with you there. But then it is pretty much a statement one can make about all those sites.
You’re barred.
So are you
You’ve reminded me of Rosie Millard’s piece in today’s Indie. It struck a nerve because it was about losing REAL friends rather than the friends you have online. Comment sections are, I suppose, a symptom of thinking you have friends online or an audience online who want to hear what you have to say but how much does anyone reading your comment give any credence to your life and opinions? When I come on here I work on the premise that no one gives the remotest shit what I say or think. Why the fuck should they?
You shouldn’t beat yourself up about what you write on here. It’s not like CiF where the context is based on arguing the toss . You can argue the toss here – and you have – but you also have an online Afterword personality based on a history of posts you’ve made about your work as a teacher and your life outside work as a musician. It’s not the same as CiF where people usually project messages in cyphers. I don’t know you Bob but I know your ‘voice’ on here and it’s worth hearing…. even if it’s full of shit. 🙂
Yeah, I’m a bit uncomfortable about all that. I’ve put too much of myself on the internet over the years and I get really sick of what a gobshite I can be. I’m quite nice in real life. Mostly.
I used to worry about it but you’re giving weight to the idea that you’re important enough for anyone to care about the fact you’re a gobshite. Only you are worrying about this. No one else. Well, you and the online nutter who’s been stalking you since 2009.
It’s the “dance like no one’s watching” thing, isn’t it? That’s the best way to approach internet discussions. And that’s why I always pop and lock.
I’ve hacked BL’s webcam
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XPSww7vCU4o
Negro, please:
Oh I don’t expect anyone else to give me a second thought, but I generally think life’s a bit short to be gobshiting it up a wall on the internet. It feels like a negative use of time.
Clearly not enough to stop, mind.
Sleeping is arguably a negative use of time. But apparently it’s good for body and soul.
I find it hard to find a place where the pace is right for a proper discussion. Places like CIF have such high traffic that you’re just shouting into the void. Some other places are so quiet that there are hours between comments. This place strikes a reasonable balance, but it’s a little on the quiet side.
I like reading them and seeing people apparently get more and more irate on the most innocuous of topics. The ‘God save the Queen’ thread here seemed to contain sensible measured posts but there it was as if it was actually important.
I’ve only ever posted to Cif in technical threads when I’ve contributed some information rather than in anything controversial.
If you think the Guardian is bad, or even the Mail, try the Telegraph comments.
Fuck me, they make Alf Garnett and Genghis Khan look like Camden social workers.
UR ALL TEH GAYERZ thgis COUNTRy iz goin to teh DOGS COZ BENEFIT CHEatersz etc etc
comments sections on US sites have similar issues, especially now during Presidential candidate season.
“Great stuff Guys”
Is that you BogBrush?
I refuse to waste any more time arguing about whether or not I should worry about arguing about wasting time arguing with people on the internet.
tl;dr
I’ve been on sites where I gave away too much and ended up regretting it, so I’ve been really careful on this one not to get too ‘personal’. I tend to hope that the things I have revealed about myself in moments of weakness/forgetfulness/drunkenness have been forgotten. I try not to get in arguments, even though I occasionally do. I have kids and I don’t really want them going online and finding stuff I’ve said.
Good job your name’s not Poppy, then!
YouTube comments. Sometime I’ll be watching a clip and my eyes will be drawn to the comments and then it’s all over. 15 minutes later I’ll click out of there feeling like I’ve been wading through raw sewage.
Like this:
Mmm, I’m quite careful about what I say, working on the email principle that if you say it to someone, you have to assume anyone can see it. I actually said what I thought (on a quite innocuous thread about an irrelevant subject) and got a right old shoeing on the old place by some flag carrying zealots, so now I stay anodine. Dull I know, but safer.
You ily-livered surrender monkey, you.
I sometimes comment on the Guardian (same handle as here) but tend to stick to quips rather than heavy duty political comment. A quick glance at the Telegraph shows what happens when people take that stuff seriously (and that’s just the ones they allow to be published – the most striking example of which I can recall was in an article on Roma people and opined that ‘Hitler should have finished the job’. I can scarcely imagine the stuff they don’t let through.)