Final Project
Don't Talk to Strangers Online: The Power of the Comment Section
Alexandra Posey
Introduction
The utility of social
media goes far beyond the ability to posts a picture in real time. People meet
long lost friends in different countries thanks to social media. Laws being
passed can be broadcasted to millions. We can ask our favorite celebrities
questions through live streams and connect with them that way. We can DM and hold
a conversation with someone working our dream job. Creators of these platforms
often state their purpose as to bring people together or create a community, and
in some ways, it does. From Facebook arguments to Instagram memes or twitter
activism, social media has the unique ability to bring people who would
otherwise not see or speak to one another together using overlapping interests
or trending topics of discussion. Further, the conduct during online
conversations is far different from that of what may be experienced face-
to-face over coffee or even on the phone. People are more comfortable being
aggressive and brutally honest to people they do not know behind a screen.
Social media also provides the ability to take on a new identity and disclose
vulnerable information with no tie to you personally. This transformation of
conversation to something less formal and more open to interpretation can lead
to global conversation that was never as accessible before these platforms
existed.
Mass coverage and
engagement with a post can be beneficial or harmful. For example, hate comments
and cyberbullying are a huge issue that comes at the expense of open platforms
such as Twitter. As a user, I am able to comment on posts made by anyone on the
app as long as they are not a private account. Similarly to being able to
comment on a discussion with a stranger about human rights, I am equally
capable of expressing insulting or negative comments to another user with no
requirement for follow them or engage with their page. The standard of conduct
online is quite unclear. If someone were to comment or post something
offensive, the most you could do is report it and hope that it is taken down
within a few days. This double-sided quality of social media makes it a tool is
used properly or can be weaponized if abused.
Some creators, or
influencers, even make money from their contributions to social media. This can
add to the perception of a hierarchy. Before this was an option, all accounts
would post what they enjoy, and value may be perceived through likes or
follows. However, now certain users who bring in more engagements can make a
livable income off posts, sponsorships, and brand deals. Because they can make
a living from social media and have acquired a massive following, these people
may be presumed to have a higher standing or implied superiority online.
Otherwise, all users still have an equal ability to comment or interact with
any other accounts as long as they are not private. For example, I could
message someone from Egypt with the click of a button. Some platforms such as
Instagram even offer a translation button to demolish the language barrier that
may get in the way of conversing with one another.
These abilities are quite
recent to us, which can be a contributing factor to why our unstated code of
conduct online is so unclear. While holding a conversation in line for coffee
may be filled with small talk or begin with a compliment, online conversations
do not begin as formally. In fact, most of the time, you could have an in-depth
conversation with a complete stranger and still not know their name by the end.
This completely contradicts the traditional “Don’t talk to strangers” motto.
Now, young people such as myself are encouraged to reach out to strangers and
discuss new ideas with apps such as Omeggle, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat,
Facebook, and even Tinder.
One disadvantage when it
comes to meeting others and discovering new topics on any platform is the
algorithms that arrange who sees what. The system is organized so that
according to what I like, post, and search, I will see things similar. It seems
that this was put in place to keep users hooked and engaged rather than making
them disinterested with content they do not enjoy. However, doing so limits
what is in the immediate field of vision for users. For example, my suggested
tweets may be related to make up or YouTube, but this fails to show me tweets
from criminal justice issue advocates, another topic I would also be interested
in, but have not stumbled upon yet. Meaning, if you have not displayed interest
in a certain topic, it may be less likely to appear on your timeline. A method
to overcome this disadvantage is to look up hashtags or users associated with your
interest or to explore your trending page, which provides a variety of topics
that are going on world-wide.
While a majority of our
everyday conversations have been moved to an online setting, people do not seem
to reserve their personal information from the public any more than they had
before. In fact, it may be easier to be vulnerable or outgoing behind a screen
with a detached account from your name or reputation than to have these
conversations face-to-face.
There are an estimated
554.7 million people around the globe who actively use the service and post a
collective 58 million “tweets” each day (Walck, P. (2013)). With such
widespread sharing capabilities, conversations often occur between complete
strangers. There is a visible trend in modern methods of communication toward
more inclusive platforms with a mass of diverse users. When it comes to the
development of online activism and mass movements, twitter can be transformed
into a unifying force. Applied to the #MeToo movement, these posts are part of
a much “larger, ongoing narrative” (Hosterman, A., Johnson, N., Stouffer, R.,
& Herring, S. (2018)). It is noteworthy that this movement did not begin with
a celebrity tweet or one from a user with thousands of followers. Instead, modern
movements on social media can begin with the average user bringing in others
using tools such as hashtags or being spread through retweets. Ultimately, the
“diversity of global social media platforms and the habits of its increasingly
global users can have a profound effect on the way global movements are done in
the future” (Ngo, N. (n.d.)).
The
tweets involved in similar movements do not stray from vulnerability because
they are public, but instead provide personal experiences to create a
community. "It is certainly a digital space where what one
discloses and one’s subsequent privacy take on new meanings"(Walck, P.
(2013)). Twitter allows users to be as secretive or open as they choose.
Accounts can be created with fake names, missing account pictures, or detached owners
so that otherwise embarrassing or shameful content would not be associated with
the individual. Our perception of privacy and the act of filtering out content
that is too sensitive to be put online is becoming outdated. Today, posting on
social media does not require much censoring and can be done with quite little
effort, often leading to anything from quick, genuine responses to impulsive
reactions.
However, accounts can also
be an outlet for users to pursue their individual interests and meet others who
think alike. When used properly, these platforms offer support, empathy, and an
opportunity for collective healing to those who have faced similar issues.
Studies have found chatting on the internet to be emotionally beneficial (Snow,
Emily (2007)). The psychological benefit of a cathartic outlet is also valuable
to users. For example, unlike Facebook where you much request to join a group
if you would like to talk about a shared interest with a large group of people,
Twitter does not have such a thing. Instead, all conversation is welcomed and
allowed as long as the account is public.
Despite the ability to
spread hate or negativity on the internet, it seems that most users prefer to
use the outlet for more positive, unifying purpose. Although the internet “allows
for deception, its potential anonymity may also make it easier for one to self-disclose
and reveal one’s true self” (Snow, Emily (2007)).
After reading these pieces
of literature, I began to question what the future of online discussion might look
like. The current standard seems very informal, with every detail of our lives being
shared for the sake of complying with the social media norm and less focused on
sharing purposeful content. It seems that younger users such as myself are not very
concerned with how much of our personal life is shared online or where the
boundary of privacy is placed. As we grow older and find careers, it is
plausible that social media may become a more formal setting and a new app will
be releases to revive this desire to share, or even overshare.
Conflicts that may occur
when researching social media behavior and trends include difficulty identifying
demographics about users especially for fan accounts and catfish accounts. Further,
the emotional benefits as well as an inclusive narrative are limited to the popularity
of a post and how long its fame lasts. On the internet, trending topics change
daily and explore pages are updated constantly to intrigue users with new content
and throw out yesterday’s news. This can be a downfall hen attempting to create
mass action such as within protests. Those included must be loyal to their
cause despite the conversation quickly becoming an outdated trend. Overcoming
this obstacle and bringing conversations form the internet to the dinner table
to a representative’s office is easier said than done.
All in all, prior
research in the topic of online conduct, perceived privacy, and mass activism
can bring one to assume that the social media can be used to our advantage if
those contributing bring genuine input to a topic the are willing to stand up for
long-term.
Methods
A specific phenomenon
that grabbed my attention was a video that went viral in December 2019. This
video displays an American journalist interviewing local people in the UK,
having them guess the prices of medical procedures and tools such as inhalers (@_waleedshahid
(2019, Dec 3)). As you might assume, the people interviewed were shocked and
disappointed finding out how expensive things such as holding your newborn baby
could be in the United States. However, the comments stirred a conversation
that led to comparing these prices and abilities worldwide. My focus in this
paper will be the comments, specifically and how these interactions play out. I
chose this video and the comments because I feel that the topic of healthcare
is one in the political spotlight quite often and does not only affect
Americans. By learning and engaging with others, users are more aware of their
rights and healthcare issues and can act as more knowledgeable citizens in the
future.
My research on this topic
is important and worthwhile because of our increased reliability on technology for
information and perspective on modern issues. By looking into how these engagements
flow and know users treat one another where there is very little censoring, we
can take a small step toward learning how to better organize these
conversations to make the most tout of our platforms. Discussion about topics
similar to healthcare are also vital to becoming more informed citizens and
voters in the future. Familiarizing these conversations, even online, is key to
developing a better understanding of issues that affect us as Americans
throughout our lifespans. This could lead to further discussion about similar topics
such as immigration, abortion, human right, and environmental awareness.
I decided to use this
video and its evoked online response nearly 4 months after it was posted so that
I am not just looking at immediate commenters, which are mostly likely
followers of the account, but a variety of inputs. I chose the first 50
comments as a limitation on my research because it would be easier to divide
into groups, but larger enough to include a few disagreements and users from
around the globe. It should be noted that twitter tends to organize comments so
that the ones with the most engagement (likes, retweets, comments) will appear
closer to the top. I used this to my advantage by looking at the first 50 and
knowing that these were useful in creating a conversation, and usually were not
just a one-sided comment.
For my research, I looked
at and categorized the first 50 comments in response to this video. The
categories were (1) indifferent, (2) statistic/linked article, (3) personal
experience in or from USA, (4) personal experience in or from another country,
(5) joke/meme/unrelated, and (6) aggressive/argumentative. I did this to
differentiate the tone and utility of each comment. If a comment described a
personal experience but did not specify where it happened (US or other), it was
grouped in as argumentative.
Analysis
The 50 comments I looked
at were categorized as follows:
5- Indifferent
3- Statistics/Linked article
11- Personal experience in or from USA
7- Personal experience in or from another country
8- Joke/meme/unrelated
16- Aggressive/ Argumentative
Indifferent comments
often stated things such as “that’s just how things work” or “welp, not much we
can do about it”. They did not provide a personal story or add much to the
conversation. An example of this type of tweet that was presenting within the
first 50 comments stated, “This sums up America in general” (@FarihaK666 (2019,
Dec 3)). Even these comments are worth discussion because they display a
hopeless tone and might be indicating of how some people think of these issues
as too big to tackle.
Statistics or linked
articles did not include text and were sometimes completely unrelated, aiming
to self-promote. These did not include any criticism about the article or
statistic posted, leaving their position relatively unknown. One of the tweets
included in this category linked an article titled “When Medical Debt
Collectors Decide Who Gets Arrested”, sparking a smaller conversation in the thread
underneath this specific reply (@AminosBilly (2019, Dec 3)). These may be
useful if readers put in the effort to click and read the articles or analyze
the statistics, but this is quite unlikely. A few of these are completely
unrelated and just link a service such as a soundcloud page that that may be
viewed by users skimming the comments. Either way, these ususlaly do not gain
much interaction nor do the readings often come from reliable sources.
Personal experience,
whether from the USA or not, would be identified quite easily and clearly
stated where the user was from/where the story took place. An example of a
tweet included in this category could be “I live in Portugal. Had cancer with 3
months treatment, cost 0 euros. And even got paid 80% of my salary by social
security. Poor people get most treatments at zero cost. I get to pay around 30%
of my salary in taxes, but its worth (it)” (@CryHavoc1971 (2019, Dec 3)). These
tweets are a useful tool for comparison, but alone, do not have as much value. In
the same way, the video itself is useful to watch, but gains immense value if
interacted with.
Jokes or memes were only
related to the content about half of the time and usually came in the form of
gifs such as one of people looking disappointed or rolling their eyes. These
also included news screenshots that had to do with the topic, but once again,
provided no commentary. One example counted in these results could be a tweet
that reads “I work at a hospital in the U.S. and pay for parking lol”(@RubinsBlockList
(2019, Dec 3)). Although this tweet is not very funny, I could tell it was
implying a joke or sarcasm. These can be assumed to come from a younger
audience. They are useful in showing a wide age variance within those
commenting. In real life, these conversations may be only occurring between
adults, but twitter opens the discussion to anyone interested, including
younger users.
Aggressive or
argumentative comments were usually used in response to others and came in the
form of debate. This category included aggressive comments because these still drove
a discussion. An argumentative comment I saw within the first 50 comments read
“Our healthcare system is outrageous. We need Medicare for all. I didn’t know
about the fee for skin to skin contact (holding a newborn baby). Truly
disgusting” (@peoplepersson (2019, Dec 3)). The utility of this comment is
pretty straight-forward when he/she wrote “I didn’t know…”. This tells me that
she gained some knowledge from the content of the video and/or comments. Thus,
it is justified to say that this interaction has bettered her in terms of being
more knowledgeable.
The engagements with the
initial post were often comments that led to smaller, more intimate
conversations. As you can see, the majority of the tweets analyzed fell into
one of the personal experience categories or were argumentative. What this
shows me is that people are willing to be vulnerable by sharing their stories
with strangers if it means that they can all become more knowledgeable on the
topic. Similarly to the #MeToo movement, the discussion is enhanced by personal
experience, although sometimes difficult to share. Although medical spending
and debt may not be the most vulnerable information one has, it is publicized
to anyone online, sometimes making users hesitant to give their input. Even as
an outsider who did not interact with this post, I am now able to see what
people across the world have to say on the topic. For example, the following
comment depicts the incredible expenses of healthcare in the US as expressed by
someone who came from Britain.
This comment is unique in that it provides a 2-sided perspective from one person. It is also noteworthy that the use does not have their name attached to the account nor is there a picture. This could signal that the person behind the keyboard is more comfortable expressing controversial opinions with strangers under an account detached from them personally. This comment functions as more accurate insight because the same person lived 2 different experiences when it comes to healthcare across the world. Rather than relying on other comments, this user has seen these effects firsthand. Sharing their experience is quite valuable to others who have not travelled to other countries.
The next screenshot illustrates a conversation that occurred within the comments in response to the video. The first comment does not specify where the event occurred (US or other country) so it was categorized as argumentative, while the response by Mary Richards fell under the joke/unrelated group.
Even lighthearted
interactions such as this provide outside users with an opportunity for conversation
as well as insight into personal experiences that they did not go through
themselves. The joke in the response to this comment also displays a common
sarcastic or even defeated tone common on twitter. Further, each of these
comments elicited over 20 comments, driving smaller discussion beneath this
post. These threads might be made up of closer peers or family members and are
more likely to include followers rather than strangers. This can shape a more
intimate conversation within a smaller thread.
Another example of what
would be categorized under jokes/memes is placed below. Here, the humor is used
to imply the message that the US government action having to do with providing
healthcare is inadequate to the point of being laughable. A unique quality of
twitter is that conversations such as this are not reserved for a certain age
group, experts, or a group requiring membership. On Facebook, groups can be
created with accepted members who talk about a certain topic, for example a
group of disc golf pros. This keeps a discussion more limited to a group of
people. On twitter, these groups do not exist. In fact, conversations based on
tweets may only be limited to whether the initial post was by a private or
pubic user. Otherwise, it is open for all to see and mention. The tone of these
comments stood out to me as not taking the issue very seriously. This may be an
illustration of how young adults perceive these topics and may feel as if the
situation is inevitable versus those trying to develop online activism.
The next comment stood out most to me because
it describes healthcare in another country with far lower costs than what is
normalized in the USA. This is useful because, as a user, I became aware of how
other governments provide for healthcare costs in comparison to my own. This
comment also advocates for further action, perhaps in the form of protesting. I
can assume that most twitter users, like myself, may not take the time to look
up issues like this in other countries. If it had not been for stumbling upon
this twitter thread, I may not have had an interest or knowledge to lead me to
research healthcare in other states. Looking at the big picture, a primary
utility of twitter is hosting these conversations and opening a window to dive
into these topics with people from all over the globe. Conversations with
strangers from other countries is also advantageous because they have very
little to gain from interacting with you, in comparison to news broadcasters or
government officials who are more likely to sugarcoat news or statistics.
My primary focus was on
the comments that provided personal experience and the usefulness of opening up
about how lifestyles differ across various countries. Even argumentative
comments provide utility in furthering discussion and vocalizing concerns. Each
of these comments could, and often did, foster new smaller conversation, adding
value to the post as a whole.
Conclusion
Ultimately, my research aimed
to analyze how twitter users compare experiences, discuss issues, and react to
one another as applied to one viral video. What I found was that, of the first
50 comments, over half were categorized as personal experience (USA or other)
or as argumentative/aggressive. What we can take from this is an understanding that
a large sum of people are willing to reveal their personal stories to strangers
online to make all readers better informed about how healthcare functions in
other governments. Some even encouraged Americans to protest or demand government
action so that they can experience the same benefits other countries are experiencing
now. Although not my primary focus, it was also interesting to see the tone
throughout these conversations. Even some of the personal experience tweets had
an angry or resentful tone, explaining that they are upset with US healthcare
costs. Others contributed a joke to hopefully lighten the tone of what can be a
difficult subject.
The commenters play a
pivotal role in how seriously the public takes an issue, especially one associated
with politics. For example, if one user posts about an issue they take seriously
but the engagements are light-hearted and do not seem to value the content as
much, it is less likely that this tweet could spiral and grow into a mass movement.
In many cases, if an issue is discussed online by a mass number of users, it
can attract media coverage, celebrity input or donations, and even online responses
from representatives. Communities are also developed in response to these comments,
developing connections that otherwise would not exist.
Without the possibility for
these conversations to occur on social media, we may not be aware of how others
live and see what human rights exist in certain places and are absent in
others. Unless someone were to research or educate themselves on this topic,
they may never have thought of such issues and their global impact. This may
spark an interest in users and begin a desire to advocate. An increased number
of people actively communicating with one another and representatives about
this and other related issues is critical to democracy.
Our modern technological
abilities can be used to amplify a cause, share new perspective, or learn new
skills. It is shocking to see how many people are willing to share their
information and sometime uncomfortable experiences to grow a larger cause or
awareness. The advantages associated with doing so include collaborative ideas,
empathy for those in other countries, finding people with similar backgrounds
to bond with, and progress toward societal movements. This may even reduce a
stigma against those form other countries by hearing their experiences firsthand
and being able to ask questions.
Future applications of my
research may be looking at conversations during upcoming elections and how
users interact when it comes to more complex issues such as gun rights,
abortion, and immigration. This may illustrate extreme emotional reactions in
the midst of political polarization. Similar methods may draw results leaning
toward more argumentative/aggressive comments rather than empathetic or
personally vulnerable ones. There are options here to also look only at
Americans or those from other countries as well. It would be interesting to see
what these online encounters look like and how willing users are to hear out
new ideas in such a tense time period nearing an election.
This research may also be
applicable when looking at YouTube comments and analyzing how strangers
encourage, look up to, criticize, or even insult creators. YouTube would be a
unique platform to do similar research on because here, the creator can post a
video and does not have to follow the norm of interacting with the comments
(which may exist on other platforms), making it more of a one-sided
conversation. However, subscribers still respond, follow, and often feel as if
they have a personal connect to their favorite youtuber, especially if it is
one they have watched for years. There are even conventions for followers to
finally meet youtubers they have dedicated so much time to watching. This may
contribute to the hierarchy created on social media platforms.
Further research could
also specify the ages of users who tend to converse more with one another versus
adults and which group is more comfortable messaging stranger or those from
other countries. As our generation may have been taught not to talk to strangers
online, upcoming young adults may be a major exception to this rule, utilizing
social media as a venue for global conversation.
Lastly, I could look
into which users included in this research commented using an account not associated
with them personally versus who chose to comment under an individualized account,
perhaps with a name ad picture attached. This may affect how aggressive or
understanding people are toward one another. Prior research displays that people
are more comfortable being aggressive on the phone than in real life. The
research question, in this case, could have to do with whether this applies to social
media as well.
References
Hosterman,
A., Johnson, N., Stouffer, R., & Herring, S. (2018). Twitter, Social
Support Messages and the #MeToo Movement. The Journal of Social Media in
Society, 7(2), 69-91.
Ngo, N. (n.d.). How Hashtag
Activism Advances the Future of Global Movements [Blog post].
Snow, Emily (2007). Intimacy and Face-to-Face
versus Computer Interaction. Undergraduate Review,
3, 37-50.
Walck,
P. (2013).
Twitter: Social Communication in the Twitter Age. International Journal of
Interactive Communication Systems and Technologies, 3(2), 66-69.
@_waleedshahid (2019, Dec 3) British people guess
how much healthcare costs in the US- and they are shocked [Tweet]
@FarihaK666 (2019, Dec 3) This sums up America
in general. [Tweet]
@AminosBilly (2019,
Dec 3) He should’ve told
them about the debtor’s prisons we’re bringing back for people who can’t pay
their medical bills. Really flip their lids. [Tweet and Linked Article]
@CryHavoc1971 (2019,
Dec 3) I live in Portugal.
Had cancer with 3 months treatment, cost 0 euros. And even got payed 80% of my
salary by social security. Poor people get most treatments at zero cost. I get
to pay around 30% of my salary in taxes, but its worth. [Tweet]
@RubinsBlockList
(2019, Dec 3) I work at
a hospital in the u.s. and pay for parking lol [Tweet]
@peoplepersson (2019,
Dec 3) Our healthcare system
is outrageous. We need Medicare for all. I didn’t know about the fee for skin
to skin contact. Truly disgusting. [Tweet]
@IanBrettCooper (2019, Dec 3) I am a Briton
living in the USA. I pay for health insurance through Cigna. It would literally
be cheaper for me to fly home to England every time I need to visit the doctor.
If I was more comfortable flying, I’d probably do it [Tweet]
@OwlieBird (2019, Dec 3) Had to get 8 stitches
after slicing myself on a broken tile. Cost $1500. No ambulance or meds. Just to
be stitched. Actually considered duct tape. [Tweet]
@SunnyHamrick (2019, Dec 3) I know a guy who
used super glue instead of paying for stitches. [Tweet]
@thachiefrocka (2019, Dec 3) This is depressing
to watch. Wait hold on. I can’t afford to be depressed. [Tweet]
@RoannaFlowers (2019, Dec 3) An now that you’ve
posted it, it’s a pre-existing condition. Our whole system is unconscionable.
Top to bottom, a disaster. [Tweet]
@ThisChamrinManc (2019, Dec 3) I’m a British
citizen living in New Zealand I got taken to hospital in an ambulance, ended up
having 9 days in there with pancreatitis. I had numerous CT, MRI & Ultra
sound scans. Total cost of $90 for the ambulance. Demand M4A now! [Tweet]
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