Comments on: Snarky won’t save the Internet http://breitbart.wordpress.com/2006/07/18/series-of-tubes/ on media and technology Tue, 02 Sep 2008 04:26:37 +0000 http://wordpress.com/ hourly 1 By: Civil Defense - a weblog by Joshua Breitbart » The Return of the Anti-Snark… and where’s my open access? http://breitbart.wordpress.com/2006/07/18/series-of-tubes/#comment-278 Civil Defense - a weblog by Joshua Breitbart » The Return of the Anti-Snark… and where’s my open access? Mon, 07 Aug 2006 14:28:50 +0000 https://breitbart.wordpress.com/2006/07/18/series-of-tubes/#comment-278 [...] I’ve gotten a lot of comments, most of them off-line and in-person, about my post, “Snarky won’t save the Internet.” [...] [...] I’ve gotten a lot of comments, most of them off-line and in-person, about my post, “Snarky won’t save the Internet.” [...]

]]> By: Josh Marcus & Hannah Sassaman http://breitbart.wordpress.com/2006/07/18/series-of-tubes/#comment-204 Josh Marcus & Hannah Sassaman Fri, 21 Jul 2006 04:36:47 +0000 https://breitbart.wordpress.com/2006/07/18/series-of-tubes/#comment-204 Unfortunately, political debates are usually not reasoned, logical debates, because we most people hold positions because of irrational but nonetheless powerful associations that people believe or understand between symbols in the wide sea of cultural symbols. For example, presidental debates are often won because of precisely this kind of successful humorous jab at another candidate. By painting Stephens as "out of touch" and "old fashioned" and "rediculous", it associates those opposed to Net Neutrality with symbols that are perceived as negative -- especially in the light of "forward looking" and "progress"-laden symbols like the internet and communication technology. So it gives people an irrational, but nonetheless correct, sense that the opponents of net neutrality aren't the defenders of technology or progress. Once those people are primed by humor around the net neutrality debate, and kinship with the creators and other consumers of that humor, they are more ready to actively hear how they can get involved in the fight to save net neutrality from an effective advocate. So it's a bit of chicken-and-the-egg. Did the catapulting of net neutrality onto the international stage of debate create an environment where Ted Steven's lack of understanding could be seen as something so funny? I think so. Without the definition of net neutrality rising up to something more like common parlance (not that the concept has penetrated nearly far enough into the general consciousness yet), we couldn't have all been in on Jon Stewart's joke, or the "internet is a series of tubes" meme humor. Maybe it's a sign that the organizing around net neutrality has been successful! Unfortunately, political debates are usually not reasoned, logical debates, because we most people hold positions because of irrational but nonetheless powerful associations that people believe or understand between symbols in the wide sea of cultural symbols. For example, presidental debates are often won because of precisely this kind of successful humorous jab at another candidate. By painting Stephens as “out of touch” and “old fashioned” and “rediculous”, it associates those opposed to Net Neutrality with symbols that are perceived as negative — especially in the light of “forward looking” and “progress”-laden symbols like the internet and communication technology.

So it gives people an irrational, but nonetheless correct, sense that the opponents of net neutrality aren’t the defenders of technology or progress. Once those people are primed by humor around the net neutrality debate, and kinship with the creators and other consumers of that humor, they are more ready to actively hear how they can get involved in the fight to save net neutrality from an effective advocate.

So it’s a bit of chicken-and-the-egg. Did the catapulting of net neutrality onto the international stage of debate create an environment where Ted Steven’s lack of understanding could be seen as something so funny? I think so. Without the definition of net neutrality rising up to something more like common parlance (not that the concept has penetrated nearly far enough into the general consciousness yet), we couldn’t have all been in on Jon Stewart’s joke, or the “internet is a series of tubes” meme humor. Maybe it’s a sign that the organizing around net neutrality has been successful!

]]> By: SnarkyInternet http://breitbart.wordpress.com/2006/07/18/series-of-tubes/#comment-193 SnarkyInternet Wed, 19 Jul 2006 18:54:12 +0000 https://breitbart.wordpress.com/2006/07/18/series-of-tubes/#comment-193 And you think that respectful online discourse will save the internet or that the internet needs saving from the likes of Stevens? That's so Frank Capra of you. And you think that respectful online discourse will save the internet or that the internet needs saving from the likes of Stevens?

That’s so Frank Capra of you.

]]>