Never read your own press releases3/19/2023 And once the "crash" has occurred, some bystanders jump in to try to help, while others watch. It might be a bit like watching an accident happen: they're powerless to stop it, but won't look away. Still, something compelled them to read the comments. People can disagree about everything-from the media coverage surrounding the birth of Prince George to the best type of pets. This lament suggests they knew they were going to encounter in the comment thread. When they do read the comments, their response is typically some variation of "I read the comments. But many readers I know routinely skip the comments, particularly for material that touches upon controversial topics. We can choose to "walk away." Many writers I know have a policy of not responding to comments-it's something I myself do sparingly here on SciAm (though I do read them all) but was thoroughly enjoyed doing on the old home of Anthropology in Practice. The thing with the web is that we don't have to engage. While you may be familiar with some of the personalities behind recurring screen names, if you have not made an attempt to integrate yourself with the retinue of regular commenters there is no obligation to observe the niceties required when relationships exist. There is no getting to the root of her discomfiture, no reasoning, and no resolution. While the original commenter may hang around for a few volleys, he or she can depart the site and never return. For now, it can be cathartic to speak your mind though these outbursts rarely solve the source of the conflict. Although with the growing prevalence of linking social accounts to log-in protocols, this cloak is shrinking. We can get angrier online than we might in real the world, and say things that might be politically incorrect because we're cloaked by a degree of anonymity. This is possible because we can bypass social norms online. And it will snowball as someone will inevitably try to reason with the commenter or challenge her position or just plain call her names. Just like that the comment has become a rant. And what a terrible reflection this is on society overall. All that matters is that she lets you know how wrong you/the topic/the perspective/the subject is. But occasionally, someone will read something that they just don't agree with-maybe it challenges her world view-and then all bets are off. For example, the person who goes through the trouble of logging into the commenting system to tell you that he wasted his time reading an article or that she was bored by the topic or goes on to list all the ways that you were wrong. Most comments are benign ("Cool idea!" or "This was interesting!") and some are engaging in that they ask questions or share their own learnings on the topic in a friendly, conversational way. And because the web is not a one-way portal, they're free to share their opinions in response. However, there's no obligation for all three of those folks to agree. Right at this very moment, there could be someone from Saudi Arabia and Peru and Australia reading this article-and as a writer that is immensely cool. One of the best things about the web is that it allows people to share ideas across boundaries.
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