A Case for Banning Internet Comments

[longknife]

Oh really? Think that would work here?

Snip] So this got me thinking: Popular Science has officially shut off its comment section, pointing to research showing that disagreeable comments hurt the reading experience. Or, at least, the reading comprehension. One study out of the University of Wisconsin-Madison found that mean comments under an article about nanotechnology "polarized readers," taking attention away from the story and warping the audience's grasp of the article. Another study found that even simple disagreements between commenters "impacted readers' perception of science," wrote Suzanne LaBarre, PopSci's online content director.]

Read the full piece @ The Case for Banning Internet Commenters - Derek Thompson - The Atlantic

It appears more and more “traditional” publications are either shutting down their discussion forums or heavily moderating content. I wonder if that isn't exactly what certain spam/troll posters are out to do. I know they managed to shut down the Las Vegas Review/Journal discussion forum.

 

[longknife]

Could a “Respect” Button Help Squash Internet Trolls?

By Liz Stinson, 09.25.13

Along the same lines:

Two years ago, Talia Stroud published a book called Niche News: The Politics of News Choice. In it, the professor of communication studies at the University of Texas, Austin, investigated the current state of partisan media and what that meant for both the organizations that produce the news and the people who consume it. The takeaway? People tend to engage with the media sources they agree with, and media outlets tend to have little problem with that as long as it means more page views and revenue.

An interest post on dealing with trolls @ Could a "Respect" Button Help Squash Internet Trolls? | Wired Design | Wired.com

 

[Chuckt]

I remember reading comments online about those who left or didn't bother with forums because the users only wanted to argue. On one side, people take that as talking back or disrespect. It detracts from having a meaningful conversation.

By the time I read articles, there are something like 463 comments added to an article. In other words, people have already had their say and most won't continue on to read mine if it is comment 464 and the previous messages have already poisoned the well so that no one will further listen.

I also view adding comments as wasting time because there is little in it for me because I don't get any friends from adding comments online.