Alexandra Bogdanovic's Blog: That's life... - Posts Tagged "internet"

I have got to stop watching the evening news. And listening to the radio. And reading the newspaper.
Twenty-first century journalism -- or should I say, what passes for journalism these days -- isn't good for my blood pressure. In fact, as a former reporter, it makes my blood boil.
You see, when I began working at a daily newspaper as a high school freshman back in the 1980s, journalists still believed in fairness and objectivity. That meant getting both sides of the story. No matter what.
Throughout a career that spanned more than two decades, fairness and objectivity weren't just words I lived by -- they formed the philosophy and ethos I tried to embody.
That's not to say I didn't have strong personal feelings about the issues that I covered, or that I didn't form friendships with sources. It simply meant that I worked twice as hard not to let personal feelings or personal relationships influence the way I did my job.
As I saw it, it was my job to present "Side A," "Side B," and even "Side C" and "Side D," when necessary. It was then up to the reader to decide what to believe.
It was a philosophy I embraced not only as an award-winning reporter, but as the author of my memoir, "Truth Be Told: Adam Becomes Audrey."
Sadly, that philosophy has fallen out of favor not only in the world of mainstream, corporate journalism, but in community journalism as well.
The only news that matters these days is the news that "sells." Sanctimonious, self-righteous and self-important "journalists" no longer care about getting the story right, as long as they get it first. They tell the world what to think in 10-second soundbites and Internet blurbs. And the world laps it up. There is no such thing as critical thought.
You don't believe me? Then just pick up a newspaper... or listen to the radio... or watch the evening news. And tell me what you think.
Until next time, "That's life..."

In an unprecedented act of narcissism, I recently quoted myself on Twitter - twice.
Judging by the number of followers I've lost since then, some people weren't too impressed. I suppose that should bother me, but it doesn't.
Having said that, I was pleasantly surprised to see that one of my quotes resonated with a couple of people who were kind enough to "favorite" and re-Tweet it.
For the record, the quote they liked was simply, "Common decency cannot prevail where it does not exist."
Given such a broad statement, one might think I was referring to the lack of civility among politicians or the lack of manners among holiday shoppers. I was actually referring to the continuing lack of common decency and civility online.
All one has to do is visit the comment section following any online article to find people engaged in bad behavior. Mutual hostility manifests itself in name-calling, foul language and other brands of verbal abuse.
This activity is especially rampant in the comment sections following certain news stories, especially those pertaining to politics. However, poor behavior isn't limited to that realm. Trash-talking among sports fans is par for the course, and I've seen some pretty nasty comments (bordering on all-out vitriol) on home-decorating blogs.
There's no need to discuss what transpires on social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter... Sadly that speaks for itself.
And while much is made about the effects of poor online behavior, specifically cyber bullying, on children and teens, the fact is that adults are just as guilty, if not more so than young young people of engaging in unacceptable behavior on the Internet.
So as the U.S. politicians debate the merits of "Net neutrality," the proposed rules meant to regulate Internet access costs, the fact remains there is no way the government, Internet administrators or anyone else can regulate the far more pressing issue that is the lack of civility online.
In the end, it is up to us to regulate our own behavior on the Internet and in society at large. I just hope common sense will prevail.
Until next time, "That's life..."

A long, long, time ago, when I was just a little girl,people in polite society played by certain rules. Children used courtesy titles to address their friends' parents -- or any adults for that matter. The use of the words "please" and "thank you" in every day conversation was commonplace. Most importantly, no one discussed "sensitive subjects" such as religion or politics outside of intimate circles. Ever.
Of course, that was long before the advent of the Internet and the instant-information age. Back then, no one could imagine a time when people would be able to use a gadget called a computer to say whatever they wish without any consequences.
Yet all these years later, some things remain the same -- at least as far as I'm concerned. I seldom discuss religion or politics publicly. When I do, I choose my words very carefully. My opinion remains my own.
So imagine my trepidation when the conversation turned to politics during the opening reception for my photo exhibit "Unique New York: 50 Photos of New York City" at our local library. The person who initiated the discussion had no qualms about sharing her opinion. I had no qualms about ending the discussion before it turned ugly.
I refused to engage in the conversation (if it could be called that) because it wasn't the time or the place. I refused to engage in the conversation because I didn't know the woman who initiated it. I refused to engage in the conversation because a constructive dialogue with that particular person would have been impossible under any circumstances.
You see, she was so consumed with her own beliefs, so utterly convinced that she is right and the rest of the world is wrong, that she resorted to name-calling when confronted with a different opinion.
Sadly, her behavior is hardly unusual. If any thing it is far too common.
Until next time, "That's life..."

I would like to think that my parents raised me well. I would like to think that being an only child and a first-generation American raised in a multicultural household helped make me the person I am today. I would like to think that being exposed to people from different countries, religions and socioeconomic strata at a young age taught me tolerance.
But there are some things that I simply cannot and will not tolerate. I have no patience for stupidity, hypocrisy, arrogance, ignorance, bullies or cowards of any kind -- especially those of you who engage in hateful behavior and shameless vitriol while hiding behind a computer screen.
So imagine my disgust when I read one of my favorite blogs this morning. In today's post, the author said that she'd gotten a lot of negative responses to her last entry -- one in which she expressed reservations about voting in U.S. elections. From what she told us, some people called her a "retard." Some even said that that they hoped she would die.
So now I am talking directly to those of you who engage in that kind of behavior. Yeah, you know who you are. Please don't pretend otherwise. It insults my intelligence -- and it makes me mad.
Anyone who knows me well knows that I am the sweetest, nicest, most wonderful person on the face of the earth -- until you make me mad. And then I am a nasty bitch -- so you probably don't want to do that.
But I digress. The bottom line is that it's easy to think you're all big and tough when you're sitting at a computer. Yeah, you're such a big talker -- such a know-it-all. You probably think you're the smartest person in the room, which is pretty pathetic considering you're probably sitting by yourself with no friends, no social life, a dead end job and a dead end life. Does calling someone names and putting them down make you feel better?
Let me tell you something: If someone says something you disagree with or you don't like and your first reaction is to call them names or use foul language or put them down, it speaks volumes about your lack of intelligence, among other things. Ordinarily, I wouldn't even waste my time or my breath on anyone like you -- but as a wise man once said, all that is necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.
If you don't know who said it, look it up. It's on the Internet.
Until next time, "That's life..."