The Dark Side of Social Media
August 10, 2010 | Written by Dave Cannon
Digg Patriots
Digg.com has always been a steadfast niche network. While it was arguably one of the pioneers of social networking, it is largely overshadowed by bigger players like Facebook and Twitter. For those unfamiliar with the site, Digg is a community-focused website where users post links to funny, interesting or socially relevant content from anywhere on the Internet. Members of the community have the ability to either “Digg” or “Bury” each piece of content; posts with more Diggs get featured more prominently on the site, whereas buried stories fall off the radar. You might call it democratic.
There is a lot of mindless entertainment to be found, but Digg users also show an interest in public affairs. Browsing through this year’s most popular stories, you will find screenshots of awkward Facebook moments nestled next to an article about Obama’s healthcare bill passing through Congress. Recently, a so-called conspiracy was uncovered in the Digg community, bringing the website into the spotlight.
Enter the “Digg Patriots,” a small, covert group of Digg members whose objective was to bury left-leaning stories posted on Digg to shield them from view. A group email containing a list of targeted posts was revealed to include a variety of perceivably liberal stories, including an article titled: “How Global Warming and Capitalism are Deeply Intertwined.”
While not widely damaging outside the website, the news has been a cause for concern among Diggers. Digg is in the midst of redesigning its interface (much to my excitement), and members of the community are now pointing to a need for more controls against gaming the system. New features might also help Digg regain some lost ground in the social media sphere.
Twitter and Torrents
Peer-to-peer (P2P) networking, a term used to describe a method of direct file sharing between individuals, often carries a negative connotation. This is because file sharing clients such as BitTorrent are often used for the illegal sharing of pirated files, such as movies and music. With the quick and simple download of a .torrent file, individuals can connect to peers across the world and be well on their way to hearing the latest Coldplay album.
The widespread adoption of Twitter may exacerbate this problem. Traditionally, if an individual wanted to download a copyrighted piece of content, he had to actively search it out. With Twitter pushing endless amount of information unto users, illegal file sharing becomes more passive. There are plenty of handles on Twitter that regularly post links to .torrent files (both legal and illegal). Users following these handles will be exposed to files they would not have seen otherwise, and may be tempted to download them, much in the way that many users are compelled to read endless streams of Tweets. This could potentially fuel the already growing problem of content piracy.
Caution is Key
The brief history of social media so far has shown a tendency toward altruism and collective goodwill. But when social networks become big enough, its users and moderators need to be more wary of potential threats, both internally and externally. Because social media is still a young industry, these threats are likely to be unfamiliar and unforeseeable.
Extra Bits
MTV has officially chosen its first Twitter Jockey. Follow her @MTVTJ
Social news site TBD is rethinking how to do journalism
Google adds to its acquisition spree with the purchase of social application site Slide.
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