Comments as Id

If you remember, I have a thing for Internet comments. But lately, I've been annoyed by comments sections everywhere. Even in reputable places there doesn't seem any way to get a proper discussion in place. If everyone agrees, all that occurs is a circle jerk, while if there's someone who raises a  good counter argument, they're dismissed as trolls. There is no solid way to get a good discussion going as most seem to devolve in one way or another (people never seem to get over definitions and thus start arguing past each other).

Well, not as places where discussions can lead to anything but they are still entertaining. Thing is, they seem more like the id of people, and in that sense they can provide a lot of context for the current zeitgeist of a particular group. Some of my friends were surprised by how Trump came and had staying power. But since I kept an eye on comment threads from conservative websites, I knew how strong the desire was to have someone who was anti-establishment and would say things similar to what Palin said before. 
That Trump has staying power speaks to how much he represents that id. Again, keeping an eye on the leftist blogs also helps to show the anger against the Clintons and the neo-liberal order (though this one isn't as strong as the conservative one, being that the conservatives have been out of power). If you look up Minerva and other DOD research, you'll see that most people know this. The Minerva research looks to certain societies to see if they can find some societal wrinkle online that speaks to that which happens on the streets. [3]
I do hope to see better comparisons in the future between what's said online versus what happens in the real world. Certainly, with all the trolling it can be distasteful, but I still contend that it represents the people's id. [4]


[1] And when it happens, since the comment is not meant for long form, it's still not good for refining certain points. 
[2] The Russian and Chinese governments purportedly do this, and now so does ours. They don't try to hide the fact and yet, online, they try to hide their identities. This should be troubling to anyone, that they're trying to influence discussions online. And, as I've said before, it also shows that comments still hold some value. 
[3] Odd stuff because one knows that this information is only used for oppression and not for actually solving the issues the people are angry about. If used that way, it could be very useful for a society's health. And yet governments want to influence that debate and thereby will kill that golden goose.

[4] As well as narrative. They do serve as a great place to collect stories. Any government trying to ruin that is surely spoiling that which is beautiful.
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