Friday, July 22, 2005
Are Influentials Angry?
The IPDI report on web videos and the details on how negative the videos can be asks a question: the people who make these web videos are probably influentials, just as the people who blog are most likely to be influentials - they are on the cutting edge of technology and they have something to say, which is why people go to them. Does that mean, then, that influentials are more likely to be negative and angry, and these two mediums reflect?
I've noticed that I have often had more to say, and I retain information better, in critiquing a policy or position than in promoting one. Is it the same for influentials? Does this translate into a negative discourse, since the leaders of that discourse are negative? Is it different at the local levels of government? We had hoped that the new media would bring about civil discourse aimed at solving problems, and maybe it has, maybe it has just broadened the spectrum of discussion, to include vicious web videos and blogs. But the civil solution-based problem solving has yet to be seen.
I've noticed that I have often had more to say, and I retain information better, in critiquing a policy or position than in promoting one. Is it the same for influentials? Does this translate into a negative discourse, since the leaders of that discourse are negative? Is it different at the local levels of government? We had hoped that the new media would bring about civil discourse aimed at solving problems, and maybe it has, maybe it has just broadened the spectrum of discussion, to include vicious web videos and blogs. But the civil solution-based problem solving has yet to be seen.
