You see, people have been taking the personal comments, evaluations, and recommendations of bloggers as personal attacks. Because one side is dramatically more anonymous than the other, a blogger is typically on the cusp of paranoia once they reach a certain level of notoriety.
Certainly, as the Internet grows, and the voice of the blogger is discovered, more people who have a negative response to a bloggers comments will present themselves. It is too bad that threats, and physical violence descended on Mr. Arrington, Calacanis’ declaration of IAS or Internet Asperger’s Syndrome does not necessarily take into account that people who have empathy for the human condition are taken aback by the violence contained in some responses online; let alone when it happens in real life, those people who do respond violently online are certainly more prone to being so in real life.
This is a segment of research I would like to undertake, but anonymity is not a factor that can be controlled, so scientific study is going to be dubious at best. And Mr. Powell’s realization that it can come close to home shows that it is thankfully being discussed in broader circles than some of us who have been shaking our head in home offices or around Denny’s tables at 2am.
I think a profound statement was made by a reader on Red Ferret in regards to this trend; “So, I think that because online universe is reflection of real world the change won’t come till real world changed.” [sic] Yes, the world needs to change, but people rationalize their violence is amazing ways; from you are a wimp if you speak out against violence, to the fact that they can do whatever they want because this is America.
Whatever people think… one thing is true. Your rights end, where my nose begins.