Comments on: Is the wisdom of the crowd being pushed aside by the meanness of the mob? http://www.rubberrepublic.com/2010/01/is-the-wisdom-of-the-crowd-being-pushed-aside-by-the-meanness-of-the-mob/ We make & share great content for entertainment brands & brands that want to be entertaining Wed, 27 Jul 2011 09:36:29 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.1 By: Jaron Lanier is very very concerned | Rubber Republic http://www.rubberrepublic.com/2010/01/is-the-wisdom-of-the-crowd-being-pushed-aside-by-the-meanness-of-the-mob/comment-page-1/#comment-2235 Jaron Lanier is very very concerned | Rubber Republic Tue, 02 Feb 2010 13:42:23 +0000 http://www.rubberrepublic.com/blog/?p=1110#comment-2235 [...] future of the internet if it continues to chart its current course. In his new book, which we’ve recently discussed on this blog, Lanier argues that individual creativity has begun to go out of [...] [...] future of the internet if it continues to chart its current course. In his new book, which we’ve recently discussed on this blog, Lanier argues that individual creativity has begun to go out of [...]

]]> By: kirkh http://www.rubberrepublic.com/2010/01/is-the-wisdom-of-the-crowd-being-pushed-aside-by-the-meanness-of-the-mob/comment-page-1/#comment-2020 kirkh Thu, 21 Jan 2010 16:44:57 +0000 http://www.rubberrepublic.com/blog/?p=1110#comment-2020 Trolls are sometimes mistaken for people who are simply caught up in the effect known as Godwin's Law (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Godwin%27s_law) Having said that, interesting that I read this article today: http://www.whatconsumesme.com/2008/posts-ive-written/enough-is-enough-youtube-trolls/ ; a call for there to be a random troll comment generator on Youtube to save them from wearing their neuron out.... Trolls are sometimes mistaken for people who are simply caught up in the effect known as Godwin’s Law (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Godwin%27s_law)

Having said that, interesting that I read this article today: http://www.whatconsumesme.com/2008/posts-ive-written/enough-is-enough-youtube-trolls/ ; a call for there to be a random troll comment generator on Youtube to save them from wearing their neuron out….

]]> By: Are trolls bad for our health? « Rubber Republic http://www.rubberrepublic.com/2010/01/is-the-wisdom-of-the-crowd-being-pushed-aside-by-the-meanness-of-the-mob/comment-page-1/#comment-2005 Are trolls bad for our health? « Rubber Republic Wed, 20 Jan 2010 17:22:43 +0000 http://www.rubberrepublic.com/blog/?p=1110#comment-2005 [...] The internet slang terms for these creatures of the web is of course trolls, and in the recent past we’ve crossed paths with one or two and lived to tell the tale. You can read about our experiences here, and there’s a further post here inspired by You Are Not A Gadget. [...] [...] The internet slang terms for these creatures of the web is of course trolls, and in the recent past we’ve crossed paths with one or two and lived to tell the tale. You can read about our experiences here, and there’s a further post here inspired by You Are Not A Gadget. [...]

]]> By: DarrenD http://www.rubberrepublic.com/2010/01/is-the-wisdom-of-the-crowd-being-pushed-aside-by-the-meanness-of-the-mob/comment-page-1/#comment-1925 DarrenD Fri, 15 Jan 2010 15:34:21 +0000 http://www.rubberrepublic.com/blog/?p=1110#comment-1925 @Furory - cheers and thanks for the direct. @James M - I love the Plato example and thanks for the direct to your blog. I agree about the dangerous ingredient being the social element ... when anonymity and mob behaviour result in a witch hunt it can turn ugly and become quite destructive. A good recent example came when a new poster campaign for the OAA by new start-up ad agency Beta got a negative reaction on blogs and forums. What started as a constructive debate about the modern day stresses of being a working Mum soon turned into a vicious witch hunt and v personal character assassination of one of the guys running the agency. It wasn't pretty or useful in anyway, shape or form. @Furory – cheers and thanks for the direct.

@James M – I love the Plato example and thanks for the direct to your blog. I agree about the dangerous ingredient being the social element … when anonymity and mob behaviour result in a witch hunt it can turn ugly and become quite destructive. A good recent example came when a new poster campaign for the OAA by new start-up ad agency Beta got a negative reaction on blogs and forums. What started as a constructive debate about the modern day stresses of being a working Mum soon turned into a vicious witch hunt and v personal character assassination of one of the guys running the agency. It wasn’t pretty or useful in anyway, shape or form.

]]> By: Adam Abu-Nab http://www.rubberrepublic.com/2010/01/is-the-wisdom-of-the-crowd-being-pushed-aside-by-the-meanness-of-the-mob/comment-page-1/#comment-1924 Adam Abu-Nab Fri, 15 Jan 2010 14:11:20 +0000 http://www.rubberrepublic.com/blog/?p=1110#comment-1924 Love that comment James. Social part is dangerous and particularly agree we primitively accelerate negative social behaviours in anonymity, yet hand in hand must also mention we outrageously progress the more humane positives when we live transparently in public. Through my own self-mediating online I've forced myself to learn things I'd never have cared to (to try and avoid looking like a fool), and on the empathy side, sought to care about people I'd never have cared to. Hopefully technology and social integration advances so much that anonymity becomes no longer the tempting option it currently is. Still waiting for when social networks will be like air - http://blogs.forrester.com/groundswell/2008/03/the-future-of-s.html Love that comment James. Social part is dangerous and particularly agree we primitively accelerate negative social behaviours in anonymity, yet hand in hand must also mention we outrageously progress the more humane positives when we live transparently in public. Through my own self-mediating online I’ve forced myself to learn things I’d never have cared to (to try and avoid looking like a fool), and on the empathy side, sought to care about people I’d never have cared to.

Hopefully technology and social integration advances so much that anonymity becomes no longer the tempting option it currently is. Still waiting for when social networks will be like air – http://blogs.forrester.com/groundswell/2008/03/the-future-of-s.html

]]> By: James M http://www.rubberrepublic.com/2010/01/is-the-wisdom-of-the-crowd-being-pushed-aside-by-the-meanness-of-the-mob/comment-page-1/#comment-1920 James M Fri, 15 Jan 2010 12:53:04 +0000 http://www.rubberrepublic.com/blog/?p=1110#comment-1920 Absolutely it is. The problem is that the prediliction to troll is based upon very natural human impulses, such as a negativity bias and the desire to rally around something, even if that something is an angry mob. The twist is the anonymity element - but it's not a new question. Plato brought it up in The Republic with the Story of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ring_of_Gyges" rel="nofollow">Ring Of Gyges</a>: a ring that makes you invisible. If you did not fear the consequences of your actions, what would you do? The internet answers that: petty theft, and being a bit more sarky than you normally would. So far so shameful, but the really dangerous ingredient is the social element. It's this that takes our bad impulses and sets them in a petri-dish to breed. The important thing to realise is that the first ingredient - a person's reaction to something - is human and natural. It's only the way we're interfering with and accelerating these impulses that's the problem. (I made a more cogent argument on this a few months ago - have a look at http://planningplusone.blogspot.com/2009/10/twitter-and-protestant-militanism.html. Cheers :) ) Absolutely it is. The problem is that the prediliction to troll is based upon very natural human impulses, such as a negativity bias and the desire to rally around something, even if that something is an angry mob.

The twist is the anonymity element – but it’s not a new question. Plato brought it up in The Republic with the Story of the Ring Of Gyges: a ring that makes you invisible. If you did not fear the consequences of your actions, what would you do? The internet answers that: petty theft, and being a bit more sarky than you normally would.

So far so shameful, but the really dangerous ingredient is the social element. It’s this that takes our bad impulses and sets them in a petri-dish to breed.

The important thing to realise is that the first ingredient – a person’s reaction to something – is human and natural. It’s only the way we’re interfering with and accelerating these impulses that’s the problem.

(I made a more cogent argument on this a few months ago – have a look at http://planningplusone.blogspot.com/2009/10/twitter-and-protestant-militanism.html. Cheers :) )

]]> By: Furory http://www.rubberrepublic.com/2010/01/is-the-wisdom-of-the-crowd-being-pushed-aside-by-the-meanness-of-the-mob/comment-page-1/#comment-1919 Furory Fri, 15 Jan 2010 12:17:58 +0000 http://www.rubberrepublic.com/blog/?p=1110#comment-1919 Nice post Darren and love the vid. FYI Jaron Lanier is speaking next month at the RSA http://rsalanier.eventbrite.com/ Nice post Darren and love the vid. FYI Jaron Lanier is speaking next month at the RSA http://rsalanier.eventbrite.com/

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