I refer to my blog on OnMilwaukee.com as an experiment; I write what I feel and see what kind of response I get. Two things always surprise me:
1. People actually read my blog.
2. The number of haters who walk among us.
But neither should really surprise me at all. This daily magazine is a wonderful resource for all things local, hence the number of readers. And, in the virtual world of social media, "hating" is an easy thing to do.
One of the Web's greatest tools of hate is the "user name." For some, it's a playful moniker expressing someone's alter ego. For others, it's a wall behind which to hide a wealth of rocks and molotov cocktails.
It's too easy to tear down -- hell, it's the sizzle of the social commentary steak. And when I speak of "hate," I'm not speaking of a well-thought critique or contradictory speech written from an intelligent point of view. I'm talking about a low-brow, disgruntled mess of misguided energy.
It's the same trump card employed by desperate politicians. Positive outlooks don't move us emotionally as much as a good ol' mudball-in-the-eye. It's proven that negative jabs can move undecided folks off the fence. We're conditioned to destroy that which we fear.
Advertisers have found success in the world of fear as well (think health care or life insurance). Sure, there are a lot of hospitals or insurance agencies that speak about the magic of life in the town you live (cue slow motion kids on the 4th of July), but more often we're witness to a woman speaking about her late husband's policy not covering funeral costs. Or we're subject to a laundry list syndromes we may or may not have (check with your doctor).
And here in Web 2.0, you turn the corner after a blog about Obama and find yourself in a virtual Beirut, circa 1982. But I can dig that. Politics isn't the most mild of topics and laying down any sort of opinion deserves a hefty smackdown from the opposition. Add to that the stress of a crappy economy, and the crush of disgruntled humanity comes at you like a pack of ravenous zombies.
But, ultimately, the beauty of social media lies in the distillation of truth. People are smart. People can smell the desperation of a cheap shot. Luckily, there are plenty of social media participants who present dissonance in a respectful way. I've been taken to task by the good insight of others; I've also had plenty of energetic haters lining up to take their shots.
I love them both. I've developed relationships with some of the people who've disagreed with my point of view, and I feel rewarded. But the "haters" are more about pure entertainment. I equate the drama queens with drag queens: The show is outrageous and funny.
It's all about dialogue. And sharing expressions enables learning. So, I have learned a great deal here in my experiment. I've also been entertained quite a bit. Thanks, friends.
