Sun, February 28, 2010 - 12:10:36

A Nicer ‘Net

Over the past few years, if asked to describe the overall tone of the Internet in one word, you might have chosen the adjective “snarky.”  With the popularity of blogs like PerezHilton.com, The Fug Blog, and FAIL blog, poking fun at others in a less-than-good-natured way seemed to be par for the course in the blogosphere.  But, as a recent New York Observer article points out, social media is starting to have a decidedly NICE effect on the way many of us interact online.

The Observer’s Meredith Bryan writes that although the internet has long been known for its unkind comments, message board flame wars, and blog trolls, today’s less anonymous forms of social media, namely Twitter and Facebook, are causing a kindness shift: “suddenly, wide swaths of the Web have become bastions of support and earnest civility, where community-members “retweet” or “reblog” each other’s bon mots, promiscuously proffer thumbs-up, help sell perfect strangers’ books, drive traffic to each other’s blogs and real-world events and even defend one another.”

And it’s a trend we’re happy to be a part of.  While reports of Twitter vengeance, such as the recent debacle involving several well-known New York chefs, still arise and sarcastic blogs still draw readers, there is mounting evidence that the culture of the Web is moving away from its old habits.  And as Bryan points out, today’s most popular social networking sites are even designed to unconsciously promote positive interactions between members ranging from close friends to virtual strangers.  For example, Facebook gives users the opportunity to “like” their friends posts, to “share” videos, and even prompts them to send gifts along with birthday-related Wall posts; while Twitter users frequently dole out compliments in the form of retweets and one of the most popular trending topics at the end of each week is “Follow Friday,” when Twitter followers recommend their favorite users.

Of course, not everyone is jumping on the bandwagon just yet, but the prominence of NICE power-bloggers like Chris Brogan and Seth Godin, along with the increasingly social and reciprocal nature of the entire webscape, points to a new direction.  So, the next time you get ready to unleash a scathing comment on your favorite blog, give yourself a minute before you press enter.  After all, the new way to conquer the web just might be with kindness. 

Posted by Linda and Robin