Media 2010: Too Polite

Early tonight, I attended the blogging conference Media 2010: How blogs shape the new conversation. I was most interested in seeing the reactions of the bloggers when they met, face to face, however, the anticipated sparks did not fly. In fact, it further instated the idea of blogging as a shield to hide behind while bashing others.

I think everyone had hoped that the anger and frustration between bloggers would transcend to the conference and result in face to face altercations, but that was simply not the case. Instead, everyone was seemingly nice to one another. Everyone sat in harmony and the conference went off without a hitch. Well, one hitch. Ironically, at the media convention, the sound on the video was not working. Go figure.

As for the idea of hiding behind a computer, it became clear the reason people are able to talk with such words of hate on the Internet.

Time!

During the conference, Kristi Gustafson was asked a question about accepting gifts from companies, in order to write about them on her blog. She answered by stating that instead of taking the gifts for herself, she auctions them off to her readers.

Another blogger on the panel, who was not as loud as the others, therefore I cannot remember his name, responded by asking Gustafson if she would consider getting more readers through the products as a benefit for herself.

Instead of the heated argument which I, and many others, hoped would begin, Gustafson simply explained she had never looked at it in that way.

Online, things would have been different.

If this had occurred on a blog, the readers would jump in at once. People would choose sides and defend them at all costs. But in this setting, everyone watched in silence.

Then, instead of offering a heated rebuttal, Gustafson agreed with him!

That's not supposed to happen!

When it comes to the Internet, there is time to sit down and think about the next move. In face to face interaction, people are not that quick thinking. In fact, we often walk away from an argument, finding a comeback ten minutes later, wishing we could still add to the conversation, even after it is over. But on the web, the individual can wait days.

Is this the difference between online interaction and face to face interaction? That we have more time to be wittier and meaner? Or is it that we aren't scared of anyone when we have the shield of a computer? I personally do not know the answer, but feel that conferences such as this, which bring the hidden online world to the actual reality of old fashion face to face chat, we will discover more.