Meta Filter: How do the Threads Unravel?
I have never been on Meta Filter before and when we had to read the thread about u.n.owen, the twenty year old who was in need of financial assistance, I found myself unable to stop reading the thread. It was like an online soap opera, and let’s face it, soap operas are great entertainment. I found that I felt pity for u.n.owen at certain times and then in the next comment I was disgusted with her. I totally fed off of the direction that the conversations about her actions were taking. What started out as a seemingly innocent comment to another member of the group about her financial difficulties led to a full flegded attack on the detriment of her character. The online and offline worlds definately collided in this thread as u.n.owen had to defend all of her life decisions up to that point. The fact that people actually gave her money made me feel all warm and fuzzy at first and then as the drama unfolded I was mostly annoyed at the ‘nice’ people’s stupidity. The way in which the story unravelled was very interesting because of the offence it caused so many people within that community. It seemed to me that social norms offline actually merged with those of the online world in that ‘it’s each man for himself’. I found meta filter to be most fascinating and I am seriously considering signing up in order to follow this ‘real life/online soap’. It bothers me that I could get addicted to this type of site, yet I’m confident that if I investigated meta filter in more detail that there are in fact some very compelling threads that have more depth to them than this first one I read. I am curious though if u.n.owen ever got her rent paid in full????
