Everyone's a Comment Whore

Even before I ever thought about writing blogs, I have to admit I had a thing for reading the comments section of the various articles I would peruse through online.  There is something inherently fascinating in knowing full well someone else’sopinion.  I think for me it helps my understanding of others and gives me an idea of where I may stand on a given topic in relation to other people.  When someone leaves a comment, the writing itself becomes almost democratic.  Think about the bulk of the material we read and how we are always supposed to take it as factual, but with blogs, there is an almost immediate reaction if your ideas are outlandish, poorly described, or vicious.  The same may go for simply thinking outside the box sometimes on a subject people may find sacred.  I am in no way trying to say that comments are an accurate representation of what exactly people are thinking, but even if what someone is commenting about is gibberish, they are still choosing to comment.  It’s interesting to see how we all correlate to one another and how one idea triggers another and yet another.

As technology further integrates us so we are quickly linked to one another, it is only natural that art be created and commented on almost within minutes of each other.  The blogosphere is in itself like a makeshift brain and grows stronger as every new site is linked to another and the chain of communication gains more links.  The impact of comments can be positive or negative depending on the work itself.  If someone says something negative, does it mean that one’s work is not good?  Absolutely not, for sometimes people are simply assholes, but even given that fact, they are still people.  Certain work may not go over well with certain audiences, so if comments are truly important to a writer then it would be best to pander to your own particular audience.  When a comment is positive though, it is a good feeling to behold as you feel your writing has had an “effect”. 

So in closing, I think blogs and comments go hand in hand, whether they are good or bad. The more we know about one another will only heighten our ability to interact and to further increase the quality of our run ins with people on and even off the net.  It’s ok to admit you’re a comment whore, for until we can read minds, we’ll just have to settle for what people say or put into writing.