New Wave Outpost Forum

Simple question I've been pondering. With the anonymity the Net provides and the myrad levels of discussion (blogs, forums) seems to allow more impassioned (and indeed more rancorous) political dicussion. Does this lead to "hardening of the political arteries"? or would the current level of political partisanship have decended to its current level anyway?

Whoever thinks the Internet has made partisanship worse are assholes!

[:o)]

If not having the Internet meant that the nation could live more in harmony, the vast majority blissfully unaware while the nation slides into debt and destruction, then I'm pretty damn glad we have the Internet.

In my view, the problem is when people can only comprehend viewpoints that confirm their own biases. Nonetheless, I think that activism and confrontation over tough issues is healthy & necessary for democracy.

[quote][i]Originally posted by SallyLightfoot[/i]
<br>If not having the Internet meant that the nation could live more in harmony, the vast majority blissfully unaware while the nation slides into debt and destruction, then I'm pretty damn glad we have the Internet.

In my view, the problem is when people can only comprehend viewpoints that confirm their own biases. Nonetheless, I think that activism and confrontation over tough issues is healthy & necessary for democracy.
[/quote]

I'm not arguing otherwise, Sally. I'm merely asking if the level of (let's face it) rancor on the differing sides to current political issues is exacerbated by the anonmyity and information overload of the 'net

[quote][i]Originally posted by NuWaveRx[/i]
...information overload ...
[/quote]


Maybe misinformation overload would be a more accurate description.

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Clearly, politics has not escaped the effect of the internet's revolution in communication and interaction. While there are definitely those that use the anonymity the medium offers to give all manner of colorful commentary, there certainly are those that are here to participate in more civil discussion and are more open to a change of opinion...whether they seek it or not. Maybe the optimist in me gives the latter group a bigger presence on the WWW. I don't know but I'd hate to discuss partisanship in a cynical light only.

NuWave, I think we see the worst of it on message boards and blogs. Alot of web surfers just read the more mainstream web sites and then move on. If anything, the 'net has made information so much more accessible to so many more people in pretty much an on-demand fashion which, in the context of this thread, actually helps democracy. WOO-HOO! [:p]

Let's see, before the Internet--

We had ridiculous story claims such as "Bill Clinton's trip to Moscow" just for starters. Misinformation and deliberate scathing propaganda has been around in oral tradition and the printed press. The goal is to look beyond that, be information literate, (and also be media literate) and fact check. I'd especially be wary of long Emails, etc.

So no, I don't think the Internet makes things worse. There would've been say a "9/11 conspiracy" threads whether on the Web or the printed word. In this day and age, people should read and evaluate information. When I read a blog, I'm always paying attention to linked stories and then judging the quality of that information and source. When I read news related to politics, I read between the lines to see if there's spin or typical "rhetoric" that may be given by a political party. I look for serious investigation journalism resources that do stand the test of time. The internet allows and provides access to much more information and a diversity of opinions--we all have our own prejudices in terms of politics, etc. but we at least look for reliable facts.

Of course, I'm a librarian. And I do find many times to at least make an effort to teach students how to critically evaluate--when more and more are literate and understand the medium of the Internet, many will look beyond and recognize misinformation, or at least be skeptical enough to not simply accept what's in front of them, and hopefully rationality will most often take over.

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[quote][i]Originally posted by Blir[/i]
<br>Whoever thinks the Internet has made partisanship worse are assholes!

[:o)]


[/quote]

They're liberal assholes!