Is the internet free? What’s the future of the internet? Are people entitled to spam, annoy, even harass you online? The New York Times and a host of other major media outlets are taking steps to make the online experience a bit more, well, controlled. Journalists are questioning the usefulness of having trolls on comment boards.
Can abusive comments (trolls) be stopped?
Sites like Engadget have already had to shut down their comments (and then refine them in order to bring the system back online) due to misuse by commenters. When a site like Engadget has to take action, it’s only a matter of time before the bigger players (NYT, CNN, MSNBC, Fox News) follow suit.
“We have a huge readership, but the vast majority of our readers do not comment,” Engadget editor in chief Joshua Topolsky told me in a phone interview. “But we’ve had an influx of new readers due to our iPad coverage last week, which blew away our previous [traffic] expectations.
“Unfortunately, we’ve also had an influx of readers who are very trollish.”
“I’m not trying to send them to another site, I’m trying to diminish their interest,” he said. “I’m hoping they’ll get bored and decide to stop commenting.”
So what is the future of commenting on the big blogs and news websites?
Although news sites are looking more like blogs and vice versa, the number of people with internet access is climbing. So is the number of people who are now savvy enough to comment on these sites thanks to easy functionality. I personally feel that commenting should be free and open to anyone as long as they are willing to share their name and email with the administrators of the site. They can still have their identity hidden from the public if they wish but there needs to be some measure of accountability.
Where does this leave us with free speech?
Only time will tell. For starters, getting this problem out in the open is a great first step. The New York Times published an article on April 11, 2010 raising just this question. There are already more than 350 comments on the article itself. None of these comments are anonymous. In fact, you have to click onto a specific (small) link to even get to the comments. Once there, you’ll see that people have had to not only put in their names; they’ve had to put in their location as well. This is a step many blogs and websites have not taken but will likely be something under consideration in the near future.
Change is gonna come
According to the Times, The Huffington Post soon will announce changes, including ranking commenters based in part on how well other readers know and trust their writing.
“Anonymity is just the way things are done. It’s an accepted part of the Internet, but there’s no question that people hide behind anonymity to make vile or controversial comments,” said Arianna Huffington, a founder of The Huffington Post. “I feel that this is almost like an education process. As the rules of the road are changing and the Internet is growing up, the trend is away from anonymity.”
“There is a younger generation that doesn’t feel the same need for privacy,” Ms. Huffington said. “
Thumbnail image courtesy New York Times.
