04 Aug 10 Consume, Be Silent and Die: A Valediction Against Lurking
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The vast majority of internet users are lurkers; passive users who never generate any content, never participate in discussions, never post comments. This to some degree explains the extraordinary success of Facebook. The ubiquitous Facebook ‘like button’ allows passive users to interact with online content with a simple click; you don’t need to comment, you don’t need to exercise your brain at all. Perhaps it also why social media platforms such as MySpace have been less successful. You can customise MySpace profiles a great deal more than you can with a Facebook profile, especially if you’re comfortable using a little html, but you really need to post some content to get anything out of it. The simple fact is, most people just aren’t interested in how their profile pages appear. Posting the odd trivial message, clicking ‘likes’ and playing games like ‘Farmville‘ is a rewarding social media experience for many. Just what is wrong with that?! I hear you ask with a rising tone of indignation and outrage.
Perhaps nothing, especially as far as the marketers and advertisers who happily manipulate mindless consumers. Many who cooperate with such strategies have no idea they are putting money in other people’s pockets with little benefit to themselves. Personal information is secretly gathered and used in a variety of contexts without knowledge or permission. But there is more to the passive state of mind than this.
Passive internet users are also likely to be passive parents. Kids are allowed to grow up with little direction. They derive their values from the TV shows and ads they are constantly exposed to, not to mention games and an ever growing array of online media. Passive parents are happy to park kids in front of a TV, computer or game console because it keeps them quiet, and quiet kids demand much less of your attention and time. Children of passive parents are less likely to aspire to higher education and are unlikely to enjoy fulfilling relationships or well paid, satisfying careers. They are more likely to fall into drug and alcohol abuse and comprise the majority of the prison population.
Passive internet users are also much more likely to be passive, swinging voters. In countries where voting is not compulsory they are highly unlikely to ever vote at all. If they do have to vote, they often make decisions based on the personal appeal of a candidate or on which side seems to be offering quick dollars. They are usually unaware or the issues behind election campaigns and are likely to be easily influenced and manipulated by media commentators and advertisers. They are often influenced into supporting platforms which are directly opposed to their own interests.
If these objections don’t really seem to be a problem, perhaps you have read the above passively if you have read it at all. It is a truism that you get as much out of life as you put in. The same goes for using the internet. Becoming politically and socially aware is empowering and can help you to improve your quality of life, not to mention that of those you have influence over such as children and family. Actively participating in online forums is an excellent way of sharing views and becoming more aware.
The reason sheep allow themselves to exist as objects of convenience for humans is because they are not capable of critical thought; think about it…
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Tags: Advertising, Facebook, FarmVille, lurker, MySpace, Online Communities, passive, Sheep, Social media, Social network
Get your point about the fact that you get as much out of the life (or the internet, or work, or marriage, or anything else) as you put into it.
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It does seem a shame that technology as mind bogglingly sophisticated and advanced as computers and the internet is used by the majority for things which are essentially mundane and banal. A shame but hardly surprising.
“Passive internet users are also much more likely to be passive, swinging voters.”
Thats something I must agree on.
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I am writing a letter for school that will be sent to a Senator. I always thought that the ending (“sincerely,” “your friend,” etc.) was supposed to be aligned to the right of the page with the name. Another student thought this wasn’t true and I have seen it both ways. What do you think?
I like it both ways too
I am writing a letter for school that will be sent to a Senator. I always thought that the ending was supposed to be aligned to the right of the page with the name. Another student thought this wasn’t true and I have seen it both ways. What do you think?
I usually interact with friends as well as playing facebook application. Some people might seem out of touch but they could be able to interact with people through their farmville. Even in pet society, people could leave a message to their friends. I am not sure of disadvantage of passive parenting, but if parents wouldn’t want it then they could change it to assertive parenting.
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Nice
I agree!
I hate passive internet users. I believe they are the reason we have crap like online censorship and massive malware problems.
Nice Post, was a good read
I agree; they are definitely part of the problem, not part of the solution. Moreover; they are boring as hell!
Thanks for the comment and thanks for dropping by!
I must be über-passive, have never even clicked a “like” button… Baaaaaaaa. Can an old sheep learn new tricks? The idea of correlation between passive internet use and being passive in other endeavors makes sense. Another consideration is the theory put forth by Erikson on psychosocial development: he states developmental crises arise at different stages in life. It is not until middle adulthood does the challenge to be creative, productive, and nurturant of the next generation generally surface. The majority of avid Internet users have yet to enter this stage. Before the last presidential election (in America) the youth voter turnout was abysmal. Historical voter turnout rates here in the U.S. would seem to verify Erikson’s theory. As the Internet savy population ages, a more assertive use of the Internet may prevail. (we can hope)
“As the Internet savy population ages, a more assertive use of the Internet may prevail. (we can hope)” I’m thinking that the opposite may be true. Long term internet usage, with concomitant exposure to spam, scams etc. tends to make users less likely to actively engage with online communities. Your point about voter turnout is well made; in Australia voting is compulsory; this doesn’t ensure active involvement in politics and how our lives are run but doesn’t allow complete disengagement either. I’m thinking that perhaps the stance I took in the post was actually too harsh; passive internet users at least use technology to some purpose. A great many others actively resist technology and want to pretend it is irrelevant. Perhaps we should be thankful for passive users (please ‘like’ this post!)