send lawyers guns and money

[boxofdelights]

Thanks to supergee for pointing to The Big Business of Internet Bigotry, by Arthur Chu, about "going viral". Chu says there are compensations for becoming the object of internet hate:

Every instance of business-damaging PR will generate a backlash of people who, because they see the people who disapprove of you as on the opposite “side” from them, will pay you more than enough to compensate for your loss.

Seriously? Every instance?

I know it's easy to go from "This is what happened to me" to "This is what happens." Even easier to generalize from "This is what happened in the stories that I am aware of." But, although going viral on the internet is not one of my Mastermind subjects, I can easily think of people who have become targets of internet hate, have lost a lot as a result, and have not received piles of compensatory cash: Adria Richards. Justine Sacco. Lindsey Stone. I imagine that this is a lot more common than what Arthur Chu thinks is the norm.

Comments

[badgerbag]

Chu is saying a lot of ridiculous things, not well thought out! :(

[badgerbag]

"Anyone in his situation who isn’t a saint would find the pressure to take that path irresistible." This is especially a horrible thing to say. Really..... *smh*

[badgerbag]

But now that I am done reading the entire article I cannot help thinking that Chu is blaming the internet, specifically, mass access to unmediated ... communication. So he's arguing that because some people are evil or behave badly, no one should be empowered. Similar thinking to what he said about CDA230. The idea boils down to freedom equalling abuse (or violence). I find elitist desire for control morally disgusting. Disappointed in Chu right now, I haven't paid attention to him at all but a while back he just seemed like someone going through a political awakening and speaking up. Now he has turned quite horrible.

[boxofdelights]

I find elitist desire for control morally disgusting

I agree with you.

It's puzzling; I tend to assume that anyone who argues in favor of authoritarian methods to promote nice-sounding goals is actually mostly interested in the authoritarian methods. But it sounds like Chu really cares about internet harassment and, I don't know, has put blinkers on to ignore all the other consequences of taking down CDA 230 protection?

[silveradept]

No, it's no compensation to be stalked and attacked if you're female and you've caught the attention of a man with enough followers that they'll do the attacking for you.

[boxofdelights]

Yes! Carrie Cuinn! Is this just another case of The Women Men Don't See?

[silveradept]

More often than not, yes. It's unlikely that someone will see those things happen, unless they happen to someone personally known or they're the ones engaging in the attacks.