YouTube

Since communities began gathering, creating, and sharing, there have been individuals who insist on harsh criticism and forms of bullying, from the tyrannical sort to simply just pushing someone around. Bullying online is a huge controversial issue in the media currently. The YouTube comments section of almost any user uploaded video is bound to have plenty of negative, hateful comments.  It is impossible to patrol any commentary online, as the internet runs rampant with trolls-  people who“post a deliberately provocative message to a newsgroup or message board with the intention of causing maximum disruption and argument"(urbandictionary.com). Is this online commentary a form of bullying? What causes people to feel obligated in sharing their hate for a certain YouTube user channel? First Amendment rights are human rights, but is there a line that is crossed, such as online stalking or teenagers turning to suicide after online harassment? As many “trolls” as there are online, many users still characterize an enduring human spirit, as many continue on unfazed, posting their own no-budget renditions of pop hits with seemingly no sense of embarrassment  or even more surprising, use these comments (which often are not constructive, but merely just critical) to appease their viewers and hopefully make their content more likable.

New media uses the online comments sections as a communication platform. As opposed to risking face-to-face criticism or navigating the complicated logictics inherent in the music industry, many aspiring musicians use YouTube as a form of exposure. Certainly there have been celebrities “found” on these networking sites, such as Justin Beiber or Rebecca Black. Conversely, some people use the comments section of these musicians' channels to voice harsh, hateful opinions about the work. These comments would be considered the pinnacle of anti-social, aggressive behavior if they were vocalized in a face to face setting. Online however, this behavior is the norm. The YouTube comments section is particularly interesting because of its “lack of clear rules of conduct and the way in which it challenges traditional conceptions of social space.” (Signs of Life, 446). In fact, trolling is a new form of communication and shapes facets of our collective popuar culture . Anecdotal evidence shows that these behaviors are generally believed to be the work of younger users, but“some YouTube participants and observers suggested that maturity plays a role in prompting hating behaviors, others argued that many young people are quite intelligent and are capable of participating on YouTube without making hateful comments.”(Lange, “Commenting on Comments”). The internet has simply offered a way to express unpopular emotions without risking societal reprimand concerning rules about public courtesy. 

UrbanDictionary.com (http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=trolls  Oct. 2012)

Lange, Patricia G.  “Commenting On Comments: Investigating Responses to Antagonism on Youtube”

(http://sfaapodcasts.files.wordpress.com/2007/04/update-apr-17-lange-sfaa-paper-2007.pdf,   Oct. 2012)