Have you taken a look at the “comments” that follow the majority of online articles these days? It’s a failing forum. Any constructive criticism, meaningful idea or useful suggestion is buried amidst a barrage of sweeping generalizations, petty personal attacks and pointless ideological diatribes. But hey, everyone is entitled to their opinion, right?
For news outlets, the online commentary feature began as an extension of the letter to the editor, with an immediacy that conventional letter writing couldn’t offer. Online commentary brings a visceral, real-time, impulsive, first-draft element to opinion writing.
But something important is lost in the process. The act of composing a conventional letter to the editor requires the writer to gather and organize their thoughts. It is a powerful process that allows writers to recognize and correct errors in logic and sequence…not to mention grammar and spelling. The process quite often takes writers far from their original idea to a more focused and fully-realized argument. There’s a reason most first drafts end up in the garbage.
And while the impulsiveness is a contributing factor, it is the anonymity of online commentary that has fundamentally led to its precipitous fall. Somehow, hiding behind a screen name gives commentators a perverse bravado. The anonymous nature of the forum creates a free-for-all where civility has no place and antagonism has no limits.
News outlets have begun to take notice of the devolution of online commentary and have devised different ways of moderating the discussion with varying degrees of success. Some review each comment before it posts, others require registration or have created comment rating systems.
At Chautauqua Vibe, we believe the more people are actively engaged in the public life of the region, the better. Everyone brings something to the table and can be part of the solution. Part of that involvement includes sharing your thoughts on what we write. We believe that public input strengthens the foundation of our democracy.
We also believe that comments moderate themselves when readers are obligated to take ownership of their opinions. No hiding behind screen names here.
We are embarking on an experiment to use social media as a tool to bring accountability to online commentary. Those readers who are among our Facebook fans already know that new Chautauqua Vibe content is posted to our Facebook page as well. Please add your comments, criticisms, ideas, thoughts and suggestions to our Facebook postings. We want to hear your input and see your face at the same time.
Thank you for visiting Chautauqua Vibe and welcome to our (your!) experiment in civil public discourse. Play nice.
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