Sciences Participating with Arts & Culture in Education

Comment.com

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Comments. You'll find that at the bottom of this page and many others on the internet. And surely it is right to maximize freedom of expression and foster lively discussions. But it becomes something more than a way to communicate feelings and ideas when "comments" becomes a way to achieve a priceless, instant, and seemingly eternal visibility. See my lastest "post", you've been "tagged", read her comment, "like".

In the last months, YouTube, an obviously very popular video-sharing website, has added the function “Show Comment” to allow viewers to see directly the comment to which someone has just responded. Two main improvements arose from this added option, the first being the time we save by avoiding the long and exhausting process of going through pages and pages of comments in the hopes of finally finding the one for which that clever one-liner was intended. The second, however, is not even about convenience… It is for the sheer purpose of entertainment value. The discussions that can be unravelled from those intense replies often surpass in entertainment level the content of the video that was watched minutes ago. Users have even started replying to a series of comments by saying “Click on Show Comment to go on an adventure…," a very quotable statement in which I take great pleasure writing. By reading these online arguments, one might even wonder what it means to be an entertainer in this age. Factions formed of “haters” and “stans” (a word originating from an Eminem song combining the words stalker and fans) take part in vicious wars that never end. A classic example easily illustrates that phenomenon: Justin Bieber videos. No matter which one you pick, and no matter how much you like or dislike the pop star in question, you can be sure that you will be entertained by the conversations going on in the comment section. Forget about the video, and focus on the feedback.

Let’s try an experiment by watching what is currently the most viewed video on the famous website: the legendary Baby. Try it simultaneously. Had you opened the video on October 10th at 7:37 AM, here is what you would have found as the fifth comment on the page:

“Pleases explain how?
&do you have any sort of talent? Like any......”
- 275ataclang, posted a minute ago.

On its own, this comment appears to be utterly meaningless, but you then notice that it is of course a reply to a comment made earlier. By clicking on “Show Comment”, you get the following statement:

“you're the ones who need help.
calling [Bieber] talented? this is either a troll, or you need some serious treatment!”
      - tunechi432, posted 17 minutes ago.

The argument goes on for 14 comments, over the span of 13 hours, some involving language that probably should never be repeated. The interesting fact is that both attempt to prove their point by trying to find the most hurtful personal attacks imaginable.  Some of these insults would naturally never have been said aloud had this conversation taken place physically, in the “real world.” However, Internet provides an environment of anonymity that gives an illusion of complete safety. It entirely redefines the expectations for contemporary artists and entertainers, since they now have to please every single person on the planet who has an account on a given website, a task which is obviously impossible to achieve.

There is also the “Top Comment” phenomenon, users being now able to “like” some comments, putting them in a separate section that appears first when you scroll down. Many users seem to enjoy the attention provided by the Top Comment status, and reaching it has apparently become an important quest. Again, they are often clever one-liners that provide a response to a previous comment. Occasionally, of course, they bear similarities with the type of comments you would find on a Justin Bieber video. The following statement was found in the Top Comments section from One Direction’s “Live While We’re Young” music video (One Direction being another popular source of online argument – pattern, anyone?):

“Shut up,Directionators! If you dont like 1D,Back off!! I'm a directioner and im proud of it!”
       - Cutiekityy123

Hardcore popstar fans can consume a lot of time and energy to defend their idols, and Harry Styles would probably be proud of that user if he ever saw that comment. But for every positive comment, there is always a negative one, and as utterly favourable as one can be, the counterpart will undoubtedly represent the other extreme, which might not please Harry Styles as much as the first one did. As a performer, is it even possible to read all of those arguments debating whether you are worth something as a human being or should go straight to a cave in hiding? Even if that person is rich and incredibly popular, you can only wonder what it does to public personalities to witness this amount of attention being put into figuring out what their role is. As commendable as such devotion can be, arguing and refuting for 25 comments requires an extensive time and energy sacrifice. Of course, the question is: is it worth it?

Another popular place for heated debates in comment sections would be cnn.com, CNN’s official website. Its “Belief Blog” is especially popular for online arguments. A recent article explaining how “One in Five Americans has no religion” attracted a lot of different perspectives on the place of spirituality in American culture. The article was posted on October 9th, and as of the day after, the article had 6 945 responses. It is interesting to note how Popstars and Religions are two very popular topics of discussion when it comes to Internet arguments. While the stance on the former indicates how someone views modern culture, the stance on the latter reaches deep personal beliefs that are often very touchy subjects for those who have faith. Expressing views on religions is definitely not the easiest thing to do, and the hardest thing might be to remain moderate. Strong believers and strong atheists often clash, and very few acknowledge the points made by each other. One of the comments made on the article about the decline of religion in popularity embodies both critical views on the state of faith and harsh views on contemporary culture in North America:

“Thanks to Democrats

Thanks to Public Schools
Thanks to war on Religion

Thanks to Hollywood

Thanks to Liberal Scientists

Thanks to Liberal Theologians

Thanks to Broken families

Thanks to Women's rights & feminism

Thanks to the Media”
       - Michael

The results of the survey are therefore due to a collection of cultural factors in this person’s opinion. The comment appears to have a pejorative take on all of these elements, and it obviously lead to an impressive number of replies counter-arguing and refuting the original piece of opinion. Such an accusative statement and such a touchy subject mixed together can only lead to a long series of replies full of personal attacks based on beliefs that are polar opposites. Is it even possible to find a common ground in that kind of discussion? If one pejorative view leads to another, where does it end exactly?

The concept of self-expression itself is completely healthy, but anonymity takes it to a whole new level. The SPACE page has no “Top Comments” section, but if you are in complete approval, moderate approval, or complete disapproval with the views expressed in this article, it’s always a good idea to leave a piece of your opinion. Even if the author of these lines is no Justin Bieber (sadly, I might add), topics ranging from religions to cultural significance are always worth debating. Where is the golden mean in those central questions? Give your take: leave a comment!

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