I found the article "In Small Towns, Gossip Moves to the Web, and Turns Vicious" really interesting for so many reasons. For one, I'm from a small beach town and everybody knows everybody's business, as is the case in many small towns. Also, I'm really interested in the internet and the unintended functions it has on society, including allowing people to write horrible and sometimes untrue comments about people without being held accountable for them (because they can post things anonymously). Although I think it is important to be able to voice opinions, disagreements, stand up for yourself, etc., this whole idea of being able to post things anonymously definitely makes me uncomfortable and uneasy. If people are willing to share their opinions through the media, I think they need to be held accountable (at least to an extent) for what they say. Why is it that people can slander others with the protection of anonymity? In this article, the reporter explained how this small town and its inhabitants have turned to a social networking site called Topix where people have been posting inappropriate things like rumors, lies, and much more. Some of the things posted on the web site have led to public and private fights, divorces, and even possible suicide. The term the reporter used to describe the negative effects this web site has taken was that it allows for "unsubstantiated gossip", and this term is exactly what I'm against. People can simply post something on the site without validation or truth and viewers might believe it just because it is there. Hopefully people will realize the negative effects this has on communities and maybe the residents will get rid of this web site before it causes too much damage.
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