The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

America has always been a nation comprised of communities. As time has marched on, those communities have become more widespread and far flung, but they are still the bedrock of this nation nonetheless. With the advent of the internet, a new type of community has developed: the virtual community. On countless internet message boards covering every interest under the sun, people gather, much like they used to do in the old town square or down by the general store, to discuss the events of the day. They are drawn together by their commonalities. I have been a part of several of these communities over the past three years. What follows are my impressions on what I have encountered in these virtual communities.

First of all, let me disclose the communities of which I have been active, either as a participant or as a "lurker"(internet speak for one who reads the board, but never comments). I started "lurking" on two message boards right after 9/11. The discussion about this monumental event in our lives was riveting and provocative. On Yahoo! I found a bunch of college football fans who had started an "off topic" board to discuss the events of the day. On "The O-Zone" I found a similar community that had cropped up after 9/11. Later, I would start participating with fellow Kentucky basketball fans on "The Cat's Pause." This board was only devoted to Kentucky basketball. What I've observed and encountered on these boards is a mixed bag of scintillating discussion, limitations due to the text-based format, and some of the most disrespectful human interaction I've ever seen.

The Good: The internet has created an avenue where people from all walks of life can instantaneously get together and share common interests. It is not bound by geography, or even by more traditional barriers like class and race. On the internet, with most operating under aliases or "handles," there is no way to know whether a particular poster is rich or poor, black or white, young or old, unless it is disclosed by the poster. This has produced a never before seen authentic "melting pot" in these communities where individuals are truly judged by the "content of their character" (at least as expressed in their posts) and not by some external factor.

Another positive byproduct of message board communities is the nature of the dialogue. The anonymity allowed there reduces many of the peer-induced inhibitions that might be present in traditional face-to-face communities. The remote quality of communication also forgoes many social constrictions like waiting one's turn to speak. One does not have to worry about being "shouted down" or not being able to "get a word in edgewise." On message boards, one's two-cents may be spent liberally and without interference.

The Bad: As liberating as internet communication might be, it also brings some new challenges with it. If these unique qualities of purely text-based communication aren't considered, this type of community can become chaotic and self-defeating. Non-literal communication, such as irony and sarcasm, are hard to interpret. Many utilize icons (;-) or :-)) to emphasize that they are "just kidding," but these are often forgotten by the poster or misinterpreted or missed by the reader. This can result in a thread of debate based on false assumptions.

Equally problematic is that lack of outside knowledge of other posters most have on these anonymous boards. In our face-to-face communities, we usually interact with people in a variety of settings. Over time, we develop a "history" with these people which serves as a sort of filter for their communication. We know their backgrounds, what agendas they bring to the conversation, and through what lenses they are viewing a particular problem. The anonymity of the internet often limits that important knowledge. While that anonymity can liberate the poster, it can create ambiguous perceptions in the communication process. Where does the poster live? What does he/she do for a living? Are they married? Do they go to church? All of these pieces of basic information are often missing from the message board community. We know they share something in common with us (i.e. a love for football or politics) but there is much we don't know that would help us to understand where they are coming from.

The Ugly: Unfortunately, I've also witnessed some very ugly moments on these boards as well. The same qualities discussed above can contribute to a most uncivil dialogue in these communities. Those social constructs which restrict authentic dialogue in face-to-face communities also can act as a brake on uncivil behavior. In internet communities, "flamers" and "trolls" come on board with the sole purpose of inciting the community with inflammatory posts. The anonymity of the message board allows them to do so with relative impunity.

Authentic dialogue also has its downside. For me, there was a kind of "ignorant safety" I have developed within my face to face communities. There, some things are left unspoken. Any underlying ugliness that exists in a community's attitude or world view is often kept well hidden. Not so on message boards. We get to see some of the underlying motives for posters' positions and all too often, that's not very attractive. I've learned a great deal over the past three years about people and their positions. I can summarize it in this statement: Those with whom I disagree are not demons motivated by evil, and those with whom I agree are not angels motivated by truth. Much of the veneer surrounding philosophies and world views gets stripped away; the "niceties" of face-to-face communication are often absent. What's left, even if it's a position that I hold, is often not very pretty.

These discoveries have caused me to abandon all my message board participation, save one place: The O-Zone. This board is much different than the others. On this board, there is a greater sense of community. Many of the posters voluntarily associate outside of the board. There is a genuine sense of concern here. There are "prayer threads" where members disclose needs for other members to pray about. There is professional networking in which folks help others find jobs, or solve problems related to their jobs. Home repair, relationship advice, and just good old fun are the order of the day most days on the O-Zone. Yes, there are difficulties there. There are the "trolls" and "flamers" and some folks are more "likeable" than others...in other words, it's pretty much like a regular community.

I give a lot of the credit to the "mods" of the O-Zone, the volunteer moderators who are the de facto "government" and "police" of the internet community. On the O-Zone, the moderators are active posters who interact in other ways with the posters. They are not promoted above other posters, nor are they solely there as disciplinarians. The "government" of this community is truly derived from the consent of the governed. They are also pretty even-handed and mindful of keeping a civil community. On other sites, I've found either no moderation, which quickly deteriorates into anarchy, or inconsistent moderation, which allows certain "favored" posters carte blanche, while others are deleted or "banned" seemingly indiscriminately.

This new phenomenon in our culture can be a positive one. As we become more mobile in our work and travel, these message board communities can serve a valuable social purpose. Let's hope the norm becomes the type of community I've found at the O-Zone and not the chaos and incivility all too present elsewhere.