After reading Brandon Jones’, “Rhetorical Criticism of a Online Discourse,” I came to the realization that online discourse communities are very similar to real life discourse communities. With this in mind, I would argue that when using the internet, people should be treated with the same respect that they are receive in real life. Often times this is not the, as evidenced by Jon Ronson’s article, “How One Stupid Tweet Blew Up Justine Sacco’s Life,” which tells the story of how even a senior director of corporate communications at IAC may not always treat people with the respect that they deserve. In an era where such an emphasis is placed on the prevention of cyber bullying, inclusion, and equality, one would think that mutual respect would
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However, it has also allowed for the spread of one the worst ideas in human history: racism. Racism will never truly come to an end, no matter how many black presidents we have, or how many bills we pass, some Americans will always have a deep rooted feeling of superiority. Due to the nature of the internet, meaning that you are literally behind a screen when accessing it, some users feel comfortable using racial slurs in situations where they otherwise wouldn’t, or express racist views when they otherwise wouldn’t. This is troubling because online discourse communities often mimic real life communities, and vice versa, in that more experienced members have a great deal of influence over newer members, as evidenced by Jones’ research (27-31). When a senior director of communications like Justine Sacco tweets about Africans having aids, Germans smelling bad, and the British having bad teeth, she is influencing young users in the worst way possible. Younger users often do not understand what is suitable behavior, and as such, they may mimic this behavior, without realizing the significance of doing so. If children grow up without realizing that their actions have consequences, they …show more content…
Government censorship is an infringement on the first amendment, but personal moderation is a civic responsibility. In real life, anybody who walks up to a kindergarten and starts shouting profanities is seen as odd, and oftentimes shamed, and rightfully so, children should not be exposed to such language. On the internet, it is not that much different, Jones’ research showed that users can be “flamed”, or attacked for their views, typically because their views are ignorant or nonsensical (26-27). Justine Sacco was flamed for her controversial tweets, receiving death threats, being called harsh names, and even being called out by others IAC employees (Ronson 2). While she was, in a sense, being moderated by her fellow internet users, they too needed moderation. This sort of vigilante behavior is often overlooked when discussing what it allowed to be said or posted, but it should not be. If left unmoderated, these self-proclaimed “heroes” will run amuck, attacking even those who are not attempting to be controversial, even Ronson himself fell victim to the false sense of valor felt by these internet vigilantes (3). Ronson said that he was “a keen shamer” in the early days of Twitter, and it was not until he was moderated by another Twitter user that he realized the error in his ways (3). Ronson’s experiences show that by moderating the online community, its vigilantes included, the internet
However, it has also allowed for the spread of one the worst ideas in human history: racism. Racism will never truly come to an end, no matter how many black presidents we have, or how many bills we pass, some Americans will always have a deep rooted feeling of superiority. Due to the nature of the internet, meaning that you are literally behind a screen when accessing it, some users feel comfortable using racial slurs in situations where they otherwise wouldn’t, or express racist views when they otherwise wouldn’t. This is troubling because online discourse communities often mimic real life communities, and vice versa, in that more experienced members have a great deal of influence over newer members, as evidenced by Jones’ research (27-31). When a senior director of communications like Justine Sacco tweets about Africans having aids, Germans smelling bad, and the British having bad teeth, she is influencing young users in the worst way possible. Younger users often do not understand what is suitable behavior, and as such, they may mimic this behavior, without realizing the significance of doing so. If children grow up without realizing that their actions have consequences, they …show more content…
Government censorship is an infringement on the first amendment, but personal moderation is a civic responsibility. In real life, anybody who walks up to a kindergarten and starts shouting profanities is seen as odd, and oftentimes shamed, and rightfully so, children should not be exposed to such language. On the internet, it is not that much different, Jones’ research showed that users can be “flamed”, or attacked for their views, typically because their views are ignorant or nonsensical (26-27). Justine Sacco was flamed for her controversial tweets, receiving death threats, being called harsh names, and even being called out by others IAC employees (Ronson 2). While she was, in a sense, being moderated by her fellow internet users, they too needed moderation. This sort of vigilante behavior is often overlooked when discussing what it allowed to be said or posted, but it should not be. If left unmoderated, these self-proclaimed “heroes” will run amuck, attacking even those who are not attempting to be controversial, even Ronson himself fell victim to the false sense of valor felt by these internet vigilantes (3). Ronson said that he was “a keen shamer” in the early days of Twitter, and it was not until he was moderated by another Twitter user that he realized the error in his ways (3). Ronson’s experiences show that by moderating the online community, its vigilantes included, the internet