Thursday, January 22, 2009

Digg

Ah, the wondrous part of the Internet, known as Social News Networking, contains many well-known sites like Digg or Slashdot. These sites, once a portal to technology news and news generally pertaining to nerds, now have thousands of members, especially Digg. Normally i would say this would contribute to the diversity and types of news posted, however, it rarely does. It merely makes the average IQ drop to sub-100 levels.

Digg works by allowing Users to submit articles of, traditionally, tech interest, news, pictures, videos, pretty much anything that doesn't break the law (except in a few cases). These submissions are then voted and commented upon by as process known as "Digging." And Through the magical process known as the algorithm. submissions are then placed on the front page. Now the vast majority of people can see the articles that passed the test of digg, and the immaturity of the Internet floods the comments. Theses comments can also be "dugg."

Of all the things I could write about Digg, I choose comments. The comments, where the, Oh- So Noble, anonymous can speak their mind without fear or getting made fun of or criticized (if only they speak fact). But fact, is not fact on the Internet, and opinion becomes fact if the general majority favors it. Take, for example when Ron Paul was the internet's savior, he was the biggest thing on Digg and if you even mentioned another candidate you would be dugg down to the deepest depths of hell. But when the Ron Paul Craze was over, and it became even more clear that the God known as Ron Paul would not even receive the Republican Nomination, the once die-hard worshipers, decided that they would support the savior of the world, President Obama. Now that Obama was the object of their praise, any mention of Ron Paul became taboo. If you spoke his, once sacred, name you would be destroyed by being dugg down. One can see the problem with this.

On Digg, you MUST fit into with the vocal users believe is true. You cannot be a rational human, (at all) if you are a Christian. Now there may be truth behind this, however, in the minds of the crazy comm enters (aka trolls) all people are easily defined and stereotyped. (I suppose that statement makes me a troll as well). The only people who have any thread of rational thought, to them, are Liberals (and in-turn, atheists), and you are sub-human and moronic if you are not.

I have not experienced, for myself, the ridicule of saying something that isn't socially acceptable on digg. If i do comment, I have been intelligent enough to choose my words wisely and keep away from religion and politics.

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