Internet Trust Issues
Oct. 12th, 2007 09:23 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
puppetmakerThe Internet is a strange beast. It allows us to do so much and communicate with people we might have never met in real life except due to a rare fluke in the space-time continuum. I have become friends and worked with people I have never met face to face because of it. It has allowed me to expand my horizons and giving me more information than I thought possible.
A majority of people out on the Internet are good people. They have fun with their various interests and get to know people that they would have never met before the Internet. They keep up with their families who are scattered all over the globe. I have one friend whose parents still live in India and she talks to them via her computer to keep up with them and the rest of her family still living in India. I keep up with my parents via iChat too and they have watched Caroline grow up over the web through my web log, my photo site, and the camera. Caroline knows who they are because of her interaction with them. I saw my grandparents maybe once a year. I have heard of fan groups that get together at conventions who have a website devoted to what they love. I have met members of the Lord of the Rings costuming group and the Browncoats in person who I first "talked to" on the Internet. There are artists that I first met on the Internet and then we finally meet in person at a convention or conference. It's really neat.
But there is a small minority who screw it up for many. We have trolls and Internet drama and the Drama Llama. We have flounces and flame wars. We have sock puppets and more sock puppets defending the sock puppets as real. Most of this goes on the net and stops there but sometimes it crosses over into real life and that is when it can get rather weird.
This week in the LA Weekly News there is an article by Josh Olson who wrote the screenplay for History of Violence about a strange situation he found himself in along with a friend of his.
The Life and Death of Jesse James by Josh Olson
I figured out what was going on pretty early on and I am sure that you will too but then this was not my first time at the rodeo on this sort of thing.
A number of years ago Peter was sent a book by a fan that she wrote on her experience with an individual who caused all kinds of problems for a Lord of the Rings group up in Oregon called When the Fan hits the S**t by Jeanine Renne (ISBN:0-9653136-4-6). It is like reading a train wreck. You want to look away but you also want to find out what happens to the people involved including some of the actors from the film. This whole thing started on the Internet and then moved into real life. Some of the individuals still show up on the Internet and stir things up again.
I was involved in debunking a myth of a Doctor Who animated series over 10 years ago that was reported in the Doctor Who Monthly. By the end of that a couple of people swore off the Internet and one very nice person was hounded to the point of having a nervous breakdown. Last report, which was about 6 years ago, was that she was doing better but felt that staying away from the fan groups that she enjoyed so much was best for her mental health. Too bad, I enjoyed interacting with her online and she wrote dynamite fanfic. I had a physical threat from the person who started the whole mess but she backed down on it since I had about 6 inches in height and a much longer reach than she had. My hope in all this is that she got some help to deal with her mental problems and other issues she had.
We tell our kids to be careful on the Internet but I think sometimes we need a reminder why we too need to be careful out here where things aren't always what they seem.
I am grateful to all the real people I have met through the Internet both in person and on the web.
A majority of people out on the Internet are good people. They have fun with their various interests and get to know people that they would have never met before the Internet. They keep up with their families who are scattered all over the globe. I have one friend whose parents still live in India and she talks to them via her computer to keep up with them and the rest of her family still living in India. I keep up with my parents via iChat too and they have watched Caroline grow up over the web through my web log, my photo site, and the camera. Caroline knows who they are because of her interaction with them. I saw my grandparents maybe once a year. I have heard of fan groups that get together at conventions who have a website devoted to what they love. I have met members of the Lord of the Rings costuming group and the Browncoats in person who I first "talked to" on the Internet. There are artists that I first met on the Internet and then we finally meet in person at a convention or conference. It's really neat.
But there is a small minority who screw it up for many. We have trolls and Internet drama and the Drama Llama. We have flounces and flame wars. We have sock puppets and more sock puppets defending the sock puppets as real. Most of this goes on the net and stops there but sometimes it crosses over into real life and that is when it can get rather weird.
This week in the LA Weekly News there is an article by Josh Olson who wrote the screenplay for History of Violence about a strange situation he found himself in along with a friend of his.
The Life and Death of Jesse James by Josh Olson
I figured out what was going on pretty early on and I am sure that you will too but then this was not my first time at the rodeo on this sort of thing.
A number of years ago Peter was sent a book by a fan that she wrote on her experience with an individual who caused all kinds of problems for a Lord of the Rings group up in Oregon called When the Fan hits the S**t by Jeanine Renne (ISBN:0-9653136-4-6). It is like reading a train wreck. You want to look away but you also want to find out what happens to the people involved including some of the actors from the film. This whole thing started on the Internet and then moved into real life. Some of the individuals still show up on the Internet and stir things up again.
I was involved in debunking a myth of a Doctor Who animated series over 10 years ago that was reported in the Doctor Who Monthly. By the end of that a couple of people swore off the Internet and one very nice person was hounded to the point of having a nervous breakdown. Last report, which was about 6 years ago, was that she was doing better but felt that staying away from the fan groups that she enjoyed so much was best for her mental health. Too bad, I enjoyed interacting with her online and she wrote dynamite fanfic. I had a physical threat from the person who started the whole mess but she backed down on it since I had about 6 inches in height and a much longer reach than she had. My hope in all this is that she got some help to deal with her mental problems and other issues she had.
We tell our kids to be careful on the Internet but I think sometimes we need a reminder why we too need to be careful out here where things aren't always what they seem.
I am grateful to all the real people I have met through the Internet both in person and on the web.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2007-10-12 01:36 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-10-12 01:40 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-10-12 01:56 pm (UTC)You are one of the people that brings this home to me. I have met a lot of people here and in the yahoo artist group and I am grateful, too, as I am normally a very solitary person. I like to think I have made some friends, not just acquaintances.
no subject
Date: 2007-10-12 02:02 pm (UTC)I know I have made some friends here since I have since met them at various conventions that I attended.
no subject
Date: 2007-10-12 02:05 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-10-12 02:06 pm (UTC)I sent it to my assistant and she sent it to her Mom. Her Mom is the type of person who would get stuck in a situation like that, too.
Wow.
no subject
Date: 2007-10-12 03:02 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-10-12 02:49 pm (UTC)I said "Among my group of friends, the girls got into Star Wars because of the Ewoks"
It got cut to "Girls get into Star Wars because of the ewoks"
A group of female Star Wars fans were seething over this, without my knowledge, and starting a massive slurring campaign against me and against the newspaper for such a HORRIBLE SEXIST COMMENT made by an obviously clueless person.
A friend of mine on the list, which had a strict 'What is said here stays here' risked his (Yes, his) membership to alert me to this going on and he forwarded some of this bull to me. It left me rattled and upset, and I sent emails saying what i really SAID, and most people apologized and backed off.
Most.
I went to gencon in 2000, when I first met you. I was in a room party with these ladies who I'd made peace with. They really weren't that bad. Except for one. Some large, very fightening woman came up to me, half drunk, and snarled "OH! you're the EWOK lady.." and then uttered some kind of threat. The other ladies asked me to leave the room party (Why not ask the bully to leave) and I pretty much raced out of there while this woman was laughing.
God, it still makes me want to cry thinking about this.
After that and some other really stupid petty things involving spoilers, I stepped away from the Star Wars internet community and didn't return for almost 7 years. I kept in touch with my professional contacts, but I kept - and I still keep - arms reach from most of the fans.
no subject
Date: 2007-10-12 02:56 pm (UTC)Yeah being mis-quoted or short quoted happens all the time.
I could tell you some horror stories of stupid internet quoting of Peter which had him having to defend himself from things he had never done or even thought of doing. Then you run into the double standard that the fans can say anything they want about you; but you are a big meanie if you try to defend yourself or your position on a subject or call the fan on their Shenanigans. Pros have it hard on the Internet.
And the fans wonder why we don't want to go out and play with them?
no subject
Date: 2007-10-12 03:00 pm (UTC)And it's a damn shame :(
I hope to see you guys (Well, you again, I don't think I've actually met peter yet!) at a con sometime again, but with our dollar rocking, going to the US kinda sucks for me right now.
I just finished reading that article. That's heart breaking. And the reason I don't do long distance relationships. I've never been strung along like that, but I have made some mistakes.
no subject
Date: 2007-10-12 03:03 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-10-12 03:07 pm (UTC)At CIV I laughed so much my face hurt!
no subject
Date: 2007-10-12 03:19 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-10-12 03:30 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-10-12 06:32 pm (UTC)I don't think that I've met you, but I've met Peter 3 times at conventions. One of those times, I was working as a DJ at the time, and I made a tape for him (this was before I had a CD burner, so it probably came off as a fannish mix-tape, but it was really just me wanting to share my creativity with him.) All three times, I got him to autograph his book, "But I Digress" because the first two times I was so busy babbling thanks and accolades I forgot that I wanted him to sign his article on Why Writers Are Scum.
He's still a big inspiration of mine and I hope to meet him (and you) at a convention again. Now that I've become a writer, maybe I can try again to share with one of my idols and give the two of you a copy of something I've written.
Theno
no subject
Date: 2007-10-12 06:40 pm (UTC)Stories like that make me very glad that every time I have met someone on the internet first, and then in person, it has turned out at the least pleasantly. And with the exception of my boyfriend (who I am occasionally embarrassed to admit I did indeed meet online), I think every one I have met online and then in person has been from sci-fi/fantasy artist or fandom communities. I am grateful for every one I have met.
And after that article, I also feel really, really lucky.
no subject
Date: 2007-10-13 05:19 am (UTC)That Jesse James story was very well written and, yeah, I guessed where it was going as soon as Jesse showed up. And, hey, Internet Pseuecide is nothing new, but an Internet Pseuecide Story where Harlan Ellison rides to the rescue . . . that's something amazing.
I once busted a chick on the dd.com message board who (along with her army of sockpuppets) tried to perpetuate a story about an evil bootleg camera crew at a Duran Duran show who kicked a pregnant woman in the stomach and caused her to have a miscarriage. I made one post raising some pointed questions (like, for example, how come every single witness made their very first post in that one particular thread?), the mod did one IP check and boom, the game was up.
I really enjoy the thought process of debunking, so that's maybe why stories like this have a strange sort of appeal to me.
no subject
Date: 2007-10-13 12:48 pm (UTC)Internet pseuecide is nothing new. I swear it is becoming more common than the flounce post (Good-bye Cruel Internet I will never see you again).
As to debunking, I love being able to pull some of the stupider Internet rumors up by the short hairs and prove them wrong. My favorite was a story involving Peter, Neil and Harlan which I debunked really fast since I was there when the incident happened and had proof and another witness to boot. Her whine was that people were taking the word of Peter David's wife over theirs and most of the people said well duh...
no subject
Date: 2007-10-13 01:50 pm (UTC)Okay, that makes me laaaaaaaaugh. "What would YOU know, just because you were there and you're married to one of the people involved?"
no subject
Date: 2007-10-13 01:55 pm (UTC)