Bile in the Blogosphere

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Unbridled. Uncensored. Unfiltered. And at times, unpleasant. I know it's very "old media" of me to admit this, but I am often unnerved by the lack of civility on the Web.

You'll have to forgive the old-media mind-set. Before I became a senior editor at the popular political blog the Huffington Post, I was a broadcast journalist. Since leaving the relative gentility of television, I've been on the front lines of the online revolution. In my current role I'm reminded every day that the Internet is free speech on steroids, an open forum for delivering news and information, opinion and analysis. And in the freewheeling world of click-and-send, a new permissiveness has emerged. There's no need for proper sentence structure, correct spelling or carefully constructed arguments. Actual language has been replaced by smileys and LOLs. And all too often, online discourse progresses from casual to downright uncivil.

With a click of the "Post Comment" button, Netizens can quickly bring down the level of dialogue. Bloggers lob zingers, commenters trade barbs, and bullies target kids in the cyber schoolyard. Mudslinging--a time-honored political tradition--thrives on the Web. And trafficking in the bilious and the vituperative has become big business. In an era in which making noise is essential to standing out and breaking through the clutter, naughty will, by definition, win out over nice.

Gawker Media--a collection of sites that includes, among others, Gawker, Jezebel, and Defamer--has created a mini-industry by skewering everyone from the big (and small) names of the media biz to ordinary couples whose weddings are deemed too prominently featured in the weekend style section of the New York Times. And in so doing, Gawker helped set a new tone on the Web. "Snarky was a new and different way of treating subjects--airing dirty laundry, tossing off the kid gloves that had long been used when covering the well-to-do," says Kate Lee, an ICM agent who represents both writers and bloggers. Among her clients: Elizabeth Spiers, the founding editor of Gawker, who has since moved on.

Millions log on to popular new celebrity infotainment and gossip sites like TMZ.com or PerezHilton.com for their daily celebrity smackdowns. And there are dozens of copycat sites cruelly poking fun at the flaws of Hollywood's red-carpet royalty. On the Web no subject is sacrosanct. No one, from icon to unknown, is off-limits. Sex may be among the Web's most popular search terms, but snark is where the true sizzle is.

Perhaps nowhere is the Web more ill-behaved than in the posted-comments section, where a vicious and vocal minority reigns. In her book On Becoming Fearless...in Love, Work, and Life, my boss, Arianna Huffington, includes a story of mine about flunking an on-air screen test for an anchor position: I'd choked and, in my panic, forgotten names, dates and events and more or less just bumbled my way through it. After the book's publication, we put an excerpt on the site that included my story.

The blog commenters were quick to pounce: "You're a dumb-blonde, airhead READER who can't ad-lib during actual NEWS and you fail a screen-test," one screamed.

I'd been taken to task publicly before, even once in the venerable New York Times. But as public and uncomfortable as those experiences were, they lacked the sting of personally demeaning diatribes hurled under the cover of screen names.

Writer and social commentator Lesley Blum says: "People wrote nasty anonymous pamphlets about Marie Antoinette. They graffitied vicious satirical cartoons about Caesar. What's different today is the Internet's mass distribution of this sort of derision and its relative permanence. Once commentaries go up on the Net, they're there to stay. And that arguably gives Internet commenters and bloggers more power than detractors from previous generations."

The truth is that on most sites only a tiny percentage of those who read a post actually comment and only a small percentage of comments fall into the vile category. Still, those leave-behinds get plenty of attention.

Ultimately, it's clear that it's the anonymity so specific to the Internet that enables people to express such venomous opinions. But the danger is that we--and even more so, the young people who grew up on the Web--may start to mistake hatefulness for wit and intelligence.

So is this the end of civilized behavior as we know it? Is there no limit to bad behavior on the Web? Many mainstream sites, facing the challenge of balancing the openness of the Internet with a need to be responsible to all readers, screen comments for foul language and violent threats. (At the Huffington Post, for example, human moderators keep watch.) But at the end of the day, it's impossible to monitor every comment or interaction on the Web. Appropriate behavior must be defined and policed by the community itself. One silver lining to snark's becoming mainstream, however, is that it's losing its novelty. As it becomes ubiquitous, it's also becoming old hat.

New forms of media--first movies, then television, talk radio and now the Internet--tend to challenge traditional codes of conduct. They flout convention, shake up the status quo and sometimes provoke outrage. Like Elvis Presley's pelvis in the early days of rock 'n' roll, sex and violence on cable television, and the crassness of talk radio, the erosion of manners on the Web isn't the first and certainly won't be the last threat to civilized behavior that comes our way.

So what lies ahead? What technological advances and what new media are poised to leap into the fray? No doubt, there will be something even faster and more compelling than the Internet. And, yes, this technology, too, will probably jeopardize manners and morals as we know them.

But I'm just not ready to dismiss the Web as the land of the boorish and ill-mannered. While there are sites doing big business in bad behavior, the vast majority are not. For every foul-mouthed rant, there are thousands of message boards where collaboration is the order of the day. There are forums that are empow-er-ing, uplifting and just plain fun. "Thanks to our bloggers and our community of commenters, we're engaged in a very real conversation," says Huffington. "But it takes work to make sure the conversation is stimulating and constructive."

In other words, it's harder to be smart than to be snide. Much like teaching your children to say please and thank you or to write proper thank-you notes, online decorum requires some effort.

So go ahead, log on and add your own voice to the mix. I'm afraid it may be a lost cause for any of us to push for proper punctuation and spelling, but we can still help create communities on the Web that reflect our values. An intelligent, thoughtful opinion can steer an online dialogue in a more productive and more insightful direction in an instant. I've seen it happen. Don't hand over the megaphone without a fight. Take a deep breath and give it a try.

First published in Town & Country magazine's "Social Graces" column, April 2008.

Comments

[Dap]

Part one of two
Dear Ms. Bay,

I've spent three days from when you've first posted this blog, to consider how it would be most constructive to respond. While I can appreciate what you have broth forth (from your personal perspective, which, I found to be snarky upon my first read) I understand that your intent is well meant, and sincerely felt. After a second read, I found (looking pass the belittlement of others manor of writing) that I found my self agreeing to some extent to what you've expressed, I too feel the same way about much of it. The we (all of us) can do better, should make a greater effort, and take our personally responsibility for our words more seriously.

That said, I would like to speak to the parts of your essay that I found objectionable. While I am aware of why you did not think twice before writing the hurtful comments in your piece, I feel a need ( because it is the point of this essay) to help you understand why. We all come from a place of perspective, and our own understand of the world about us, and have a manor in which we best (based on our personal skill set) You are a professional writer, that skill set is second nature for You, and among writers you are, without a doubt, among the best in your field. What would make you believe that others are anywhere near as competent expressing themselves?

[Dap]

Part two of two
Should one be required to remain silent be cause of a lack of proper grammatical skills?

There is also something to be said about the emotional content of a writers expression, it is a human trait, and that emotion is very telling as to the honesty of the writers feeling on an issue, which (agree or not) can be very telling, an important piece of information. Especially today with all the spin doctors writing in order to obfuscate those issues.

These are all very complex and profound psychological and ethical issue within communication, and human beings personal prospectives and the abilities and disabilities each individual has to express ones self, effectively. Much more complex than you even as a professional writer and well educated person have the limited ability to know or I have space to elaborate upon further.Agape. (Love in fellowship of our shared fragile Humanity)

[Curiouser]

I think it's unhealthy to go that extra sentence and release the bile within. I can't imagine it's healthy for the person posting, those reading and society as a whole.

I was actually looking for the article on "the unlikely causes of headaches". This seemed like it might be it. Read one post which was snarky about being snarky on the blogosphere. Makes me sad.

Must continue looking.

[mediamarv]

Interesting reading, tho a bit condescending, don't you think... : I'm a big time, former TV person so obviously I am entitled to tell you what is best for you and the world."

Sorry, don't buy it. Lack of civility is indeed a problem, everywhere, not just here on HuffPo. I agree with the posters who say that a lot of it comes from frustration of seeing people who have the opportunity, ie, big time tv hosts, pissing away an opportunity to be a voice for truth and reason. So, blogs allow people to get a voice out that our lovely corporate media would prefer to pretend doesn't exist.

Now you have an opportunity, having Arianna as a boss, to do some good. Be a voice, civil and all that, for truth and accuracy in reporting and take those who deserve it to task for failing to provide the American public the unfiltered information they deserve.

And if that requires you to be a little "snarky," embrace it. It's here to stay.

[Gma11]

"Profanity is a linguistic tool of the inarticulate." That's a quote from a wall sign in a tavern in the Upper Peninsula. I copied it on a napkin.

Such might be the case with many bloggers as well. That and anger, frustration, etc. Which is interesting because Obama represents a new discourse. We do him, and Hillary, a disservice when we cat-fight in a virtual gutter.

[JoePalooka]

You are quite right, of course dear lady, but I do beg to differ on one minor point.

When Huffpo first came out it was like a Wild West town. Utterly vibrant, brazenly coarse, opinionated and boorish, in short alive! And then the moderators came aboard and "civilized" the place. Instead of vibrant we became insipid. Instead of blasting (in fun) other miscreants. We became a drawing room instead of a saloon.

It wasn't all so bad, then.

[Dots]

The extent of peoples anger and their need to find a place to direct it, is scary. When you think that all this hate is just under the surface of civility...and erupts on the anonimity of the web, it gives one pause.

[LesHamilton]

I appreciate what you have written on net courtesy. I often skim bloggers" responses looking for the gems amongst the dross and I do find it. I think it"s an acceptable downside that I also have to wade through the scatological laced entries and the ad hominem arguments. It"s like being in a noisy bar talking to a friend while the drunks in the next booth spew beer and belch loudly.

[GOP4MoreTears]

Willow does not seem to get that part, she wants the rift-raft removed from Her presence.

[Disparaged]

Since I want the Dem Party to come together in November, I know that it will take more than just alleviating vile blogs to have this happen. HRCs supporters vow thay will NEVER vote for Obama because we, as his supporters, have called them all types of vile names and laughed at them on the blogs. (I am guilty myself.) However it has been quite difficult for us to temper our words when we see and hear a former POTUS (who should NEVER resort to these types of things) and his wife both try to destroy our candidate. Despite Obama being the candidate who wants his campaign to be run in a civilized manner, it is us, his supporters, who have felt the need to go against his unifying message of turning the other cheek because we have seen them use smear tactics. It truly is hard to turn the other cheek, but I believe we must just to keep McCain from being elected in Nov. We must open our minds and voices to HRCs supporters if we want to win in Nov. Instead of chastizing or using snide remarks to her supporters, we must correct our dialogue with conversations and FACTS to convince them of the reasons Obama should win and not her.

[BuckarooBanzai]

This is what unnerves me:

1. That we attacked a country that was no threat to us with justifications that were complete lies.
2. That our war based on lies has killed 4000 americans and at least 300,000 Iraqis. 2 million Iraqis are refugees.
3. That we now torture people, and are proud of it.
4. That our constitution has been shredded, we have lost rights that have been with us since the Magna Carta and that we are now living in a tyranny.
5. That the president says he is above the law.
6. That the president has the right to declare anyone an enemy, arrest them without charge, torture them and kill them.
7. That the elites of this country: congress, the media, and the academy are not just silent but are actually aiding and abbetting the destruction of this great experiment call America.

I should be more polite? Civil?......... Hell no!!! My ancestor when faced with this kind of Tyranny picked up a gun and stood at Bunker Hill. The very least I can do is speak with a clear voice about where we are and where we need to be. If that voice is grating to your ears...............Tough!

[shanghaislim]

Buckaroo-

You are correct with your points. I have said these same things over and over in the past 3+ years. You voice and your arguments are the correct level of civil disobedience.

What this blog is about is not you and your voice........it is directed at the juvenile insults and attacks that have no basis in fact that have become more and more personal in nature.

What you have to say and your attacks are not personal. You have aimed at the correct target.

But over the last year or so, the level of vitriol and angst leveled at one another has become unbearable. So unbearable that it threatens to drown out the important matters that you and I so dearly try to bring to the forefront. Those same words that you so eloquently state above.

Cheers

[stop7997]

Political blogs began to burgeon in the aftermath of 9-11 and the lead-up to the Occupation of Iraq, in large part due to the collusion of the mainstream media with the Washington establishment. When we questioned the motivations of the President, we were called traitors. When we protested the imminent war in record numbers, we were ignored by the press, and when our Constitutional rights began to be eroded, the corporate media found it more important to fixate on the results of the "reality" TV show du jour. Elections were rigged, voices of dissent were falsely arrested, and the media-at-large remained mostly silent. Those of us who, increasingly, turn to these blogs for information do so because we know that we cannot count on the corporate media for the facts. Understandably, there is a lot of anger out there. And while I cannot defend the words of every single person who posts anonymously to the blogs, I can understand the frustration that comes from being told, in so many ways, that one's opinion does not matter. I find many of the posts to be very intelligent and thoughtful, and those are the ones I choose to focus my attention on. Perhaps, Ms. Bay, you will find time to pen a post of equal length on the innumerable ways that the institution of which you and your husband have long been a part, the corporate-controlled media, has betrayed the trust of the American people.

[monique]

Dear Willow,

Thank you. The post was most welcome and so direly needed.

But will it make a difference? I can only wish.

And I am sorry that someone said such awful things to you regarding the excerpt from the book.

Good post.

[rovezaleeker]

Clean it up. Homogenized, pasteurized, sanitized and politically correct. Collateral damage, friendly fire, the list of made up civility goes on and on. You know what? Some days I just don't feel like being fucking civil. If you want to turn this into some kind of coming out party for the technologically elite then go for it. There are a bunch of us out here who have had no place to go for the past 7 1/2 years after Rehnquist and the boys gave our county away. It isn't nice and it isn't civil and sometimes taking a swipe at the shit that is going on out here in Huffingtonland is the only outlet that we have. Please don't make us "clean it up" in order to get to the bottom of what is really going on. So here goes...If I've said it once, I've said it a thousand times... Karl Rove is a corpulent, pasty-faced troll. George Bush is a lying, all hat and no cattle, AWOL, Yale cheerleader who want to be a cowboy, baby. And where in the fucking world is John McCain's girlfriend, Vicki Iseman? That's all the civility I can stand today. Thank you.

[ErnestineBass]

Dear rovezaleeker,
In the unforgettable words of Thelma, "I've had it up to my @ss with sedate!".
Your newest fan, EB

[HumeSkeptic]

I have been posting at HuffPost almost since its inception. I have watched different phases of HuffPost and different rules come and go. I have always enjoyed the opportunity to post exactly what I think. In that spirit, Willow Bay, I must tell you that HuffPost has never been as bad and as frustrating to many of us who enjoy free and open exchange of ideas and thoughts. Moderation has brought things to a standstill. Without almost instantaneous posts and replies, then replies to replies, there is no continuity of thought. Anymore, it is a one-way conversation in most cases. You post your thoughts, and a few hours later, log in to check if anyone replied. If someone did, that someone is most likely long gone when you reply.

I agree, I would also like a certain level of civility. But, in my mind, that is far less important than vigorous exchange of thoughts and ideas.

I think that if you just prohibit the use of certain (obscene?) words, you would cut down the large majority of vile posts.

Come up with rules and clearly state those rules. If a poster follows the rules, his or her comment should appear instantly.

Limiting the length of a post (350 words?) is a good idea.

Overall, I would like to recommend that you consider allowing free exchange of thoughts as the goal. Restrict it only to the extent that it is absolutely necessary.

Sorry, I hit the word limit.

[GoodGuysandBadGuys]

true words, I completely agree hume. I also have been posting here for quite a while, and have seen the different phases of huffpo.

one thing I have noticed with the moderation is that it really seems that it's huffpo's way of controlling the conversation. intended or not, that is the result. it's frustrating when you have a reasonable reply that completely refutes another person's argument, but that reply never shows up, and that person's argument is the last word on the subject. by default, it then seems like this is the last word that the huffpo wants on the subject. you never saw that happen before moderation.

there have been some crazy posters here over the time, but so what! if someone isn't adult enough to move beyond it, then that's their problem. huffy doesn't need to be a babysitter because there's idiots out there. contradicts the whole "fearless" mantra too, might I add.

[Tejano1]

i agree heartily.

[ErnestineBass]

BRAVO, Hume. I agree with every f**king word. EB

heh heh

[Tumult]

Comments sections and alot of message boards have a tendency to reward poorest most ignorant things people write with replies. Which I think is some of the problem, someone makes a good informative comment and I do not put a needless post of "Thanks" or "Agree". But make if comments on here had "Agree" (Thumbs up) "Disagree" (Thumbs Down), or a "Thanks" as a built in on each comment someone makes, and give people a number associated with them for how many unique people cliked one. Then people could validate or express disagreement with a post, without a needles, space consuming, and valueless reply.

And I do my best, but If I had any skill at punctuation, spelling or writing in general I would do something a little more constructive than post comments. And I imagine alot of people are like me, and are multi-tasking when reading and replying, sometimes it will take up to an hour to actually get a post typed out with the other things I am doing and will take a bit to come back to it, so by the time I hit the post button I assume it is fairly incoherent. And while I do not feel any kind of emotional irritation when I am writing replies, sometimes I have an intellectual one, and that usually leads to me typing out a boorish, and viperish reply, sometimes I delete them, sometimes I post them, in which case I regret them.

[FogBelter]

Ms Bay, Media is an unnatural world ... it is edited, moderated, slanted, and celebrates superficial etiquette while it social engineers a world that none but shut ins would find recognizable ... remember, the bile that is served up in the Blogosphere is provided by individuals with the capacity to boot up a computer, bring up a browser, find HuffPo, be able to understand how to create a user account, and learn how to navigate their way through the posts that are presented ... what percentage of individuals in America, or anywhere in the World, have that basic skill?


Maybe the problem, Ms Bay, is you imagine the world at large to be more civilized and less filled with bile than it is.