Re:A dirty secret that everybody in your industry knows about
by CM30 on Friday January 18, 2019 @02:32PM
(#18942175)
Isn't this the same kind of thing that gets posted to Ask Reddit every week or so?
Still, these kinds of anecdotes have the same old issues. Namely:
1. It's very hard to tell what's a unique/rare experience and what's commonplace, since the people complaining are a tiny percentage of those working in said industries.
2. You can't verify if anything is true or not, so it's perfect for trolls to slip in overly controversial bullshit to stir up anger.
3. The people posting are obviously more likely to be those who are already angry at their jobs and industries, so see points 1 and 2.
4. This stuff can be framed in multiple ways depending on the site its posted on and the audience the topic is aimed at. Note the amount of identity politics/left wing/anti rich people/anti middle class rhetoric in some of these messages, then note what audience is more common on Twitter. Now imagine what the same topic might be like on Voat or Gab, where the audience is heavily right wing instead.
It's interesting, and some of the stories seem like they could make intriguing news investigations if taken seriously, but you have to be skeptical given its anonymous, unverified, posted on a site with a certain audience and generally posted by people with an axe to grind against a former employer or industry.
Still, these kinds of anecdotes have the same old issues. Namely:
1. It's very hard to tell what's a unique/rare experience and what's commonplace, since the people complaining are a tiny percentage of those working in said industries.
2. You can't verify if anything is true or not, so it's perfect for trolls to slip in overly controversial bullshit to stir up anger.
3. The people posting are obviously more likely to be those who are already angry at their jobs and industries, so see points 1 and 2.
4. This stuff can be framed in multiple ways depending on the site its posted on and the audience the topic is aimed at. Note the amount of identity politics/left wing/anti rich people/anti middle class rhetoric in some of these messages, then note what audience is more common on Twitter. Now imagine what the same topic might be like on Voat or Gab, where the audience is heavily right wing instead.
It's interesting, and some of the stories seem like they could make intriguing news investigations if taken seriously, but you have to be skeptical given its anonymous, unverified, posted on a site with a certain audience and generally posted by people with an axe to grind against a former employer or industry.