The Internet Echo Chamber

Since the beginning of the year, a Catholic blog has been bashing Clark and The Scarlet for various reasons,
all relating to the general opinion of the author concerning homosexual agendas, a growing secular-minded nature of higher institutions, and the belief that christianophobia is rampant therein.

The blog, La Salette Journey has singled out figures such as Dean of students Denise Darrigrand, Professor Abbie Goldberg, and Professor Debórah Dwork for various reasons. The author, Paul Melanson, has also called attention to a "Christianophobic" atmosphere on campus and recently has questioned the causal relation between last week's sexual assault and the Vagina Monologues, which were preformed in the same time period (see article here).

Before the more recent articles, The Scarlet published an opinions article in response to Melanson's pieces questioning the atmosphere here as welcoming and nondiscriminatory (see article here).

This seemed ridiculous to every student I spoke to. How could someone think this? It appears that the author has no tie to Clark and has never visited the campus. The article went online, and La Salette Journey latched on. Since, the blog has rehashed the same opinions in response to our article and has recently discussed one writer's review of The Vagina Monologues.

Melanson at La Salette Journey writes: "Jeremy's review of The Vagina Monologues is so disturbing that it reads like the transcript of a serial rapist who is fixated on women's vaginas..." I can assure you Jeremy is the antithesis of this. He's awesome.

Between these two periods of time, comments on our article piled up. According to comments there and across the Web, Paul Melanson is creating an echo chamber and using fake accounts to mirror is own opinions; the comments on his blog are his.

Having not checked the IP addresses myself, I can't verify this, but having studied this particular situation, it's totally believable.

This brings me to the topic of this post: how the internet can become an echo chamber.

As seen in this case, it's completely feasible 1) that someone can post slanderous harassment online at their will 2) that one can anonymously hide and change character behind a screen and 3) that those with strong views and opinions never have to leave their comfort zone.

The internet is a very mixed place, and with a little Googling, you can find people who agree or disagree wholeheartedly with what you're saying. But when users are only interested in

staying in one position or anonymously "trolling," things get messy.

Trolling is internet slang for an individual who is trying to get a rise out of someone and cause a desired reaction. Melanson may have different reasons for latching onto Clark (and other groups and institutions in the past), but it appears that he is only using the negative and aggressive

tactic of trolling to further his views and garner visits to his blog.

Blogs are a prime example of how much people love to hear themselves talk, and likewise, hear those who agree with them.

He'll probably find this, too. Who knows, my name may be in the next blog post. But as the old adage goes, "There is no such thing as bad publicity." Thanks, La Salette Journey for giving us such entertaining stuff to read... but try to be kind about it. I'm sure Darrigrand would appreciate it.