An Internet Theorem Resurfaces
I signed up for LiveJournal a few days ago. It's not the first time I have been a member – in the days before Facebook, Twitter, Wordpress and Tumblr swept all before them – hell, before MySpace lumbered across the world wide web – I regularly emptied my head into LiveJournal's cavernous black hole of words and pictures.
Shortly after signing up – and trawling through the labyrinthine profile, design, and configuration options – I posted a bio to some of the LiveJournal communities, reaching out to make a few new friends. If only I had known what I was letting myself in for.
I have become complacent about the internet – I always think the best of people. In the real world this is a positive trait – accepting people no matter their race, views, ideas, or beliefs. On the internet trust is a very dangerous thing – especially within the walls of an ancient blogging platform where people routinely hide behind pseudonyms.
The first private message came from a random stranger, noting that I had begun following somebody in particular. They made slanderous accusations, false claims, and performed something of a character assassination.
The next private message – within minutes – came from another stranger, noting that I had begun following the first stranger, and warning me about them. Again, the message made all manner of unsubstantiated claims.
I “unfollowed” both people immediately, and while unable to decide between laughter or anger, recalled the writing website I ran over a decade ago. The website where a tiny minority signed up for multiple accounts, started arguments with themselves, and then fed the ensuing mayhem. I had forgotten that any degree of anonymity on the internet typically gives rise to the “Greater Internet Fuckwad Theory”, put forward many years ago by Penny Arcade.
The theory postulates that any normal person, when handed anonymity and an audience, typically turns into a monster. Quite worryingly, I have seen the theory proven too many times to really regard it as a “theory” any more.